In June 2019 TAP began a non-stop route from Lisbon Airport (LIS) to San Francisco (SFO).

This eleven-hour-long flight connects not just Portugal to California but the United Kingdom as well. TAP has connecting flights from major airports in the UK like Heathrow and Manchester, this means that British passengers can avail of the TAP route to get to The Golden State quicker than some other airlines.

The route, since coming out of Covid, has increased in terms of passengers and now they fly four weekly flights to and from the US. TAP has plans to increase the frequency in the peak months of July and August though, using the efficient Airbus A330neo.

Ricardo Dinis who is the TAP country manager for the UK, Ireland, and Nordics said: “We are extremely pleased to be celebrating four successful years of flying between Lisbon and San Francisco, connecting our customers from the UK and beyond to one of our most sought-after US destinations.”

San Francisco is one of the biggest airports in America and also a very important connecting hub for the likes of United Airlines which TAP have a partnership within the Starline Alliance. The TAP passengers then have the option to go to other major cities in the US with bridging flights using United Airlines’ services.

It also gives the Californians the option to fly directly to Lisbon. This will no doubt help tourism in the surrounding Lisbon area bringing thousands of passengers to Portugal.

Author

A passionate Irish journalist with a love for cycling, politics and of course Portugal especially their sausage rolls.

Rory Mc Ginn