A Dream Trip Turns into a Travel Nightmare

In November, my friend and I excitedly booked a trip to Portugal for March, choosing vibrant Lisbon and the stunning island of Madeira as our destinations. We believed we’d snagged a great deal on TAP Air Portugal’s direct flights—giving us hope for a smooth journey.

The First Red Flag: Major Itinerary Changes

Two months before flying, disaster struck. TAP Air notified us that our return flight was pushed back a full 24 hours. Without any explanation, we found ourselves having to fork out an extra $200 for hotel stays and other expenses just to accommodate this sudden change. Thankfully, we made lemonade out of lemons, planning a day trip to Sintra.

Flight Chaos Ruins Our Madeira Adventure

Fast forward to our departure day for Madeira. Arriving at the airport almost three hours early, we were greeted with the news that our flight was overbooked and we had no assigned seats. Instead of boarding on time, we ended up waiting for five additional hours before taking off, arriving at midnight with barely any sleep before an early morning hike.

Another Cancellation and More Frustration

As if things couldn’t get worse, we received notice that our return flight to Lisbon was canceled entirely. TAP Air rescheduled us for a flight 12 hours later than planned! Frustrated, my friend booked an earlier Ryanair flight at an extra expense, forcing us to adapt yet again.

Customer Service? More Like a Customer Headache

Attempting to get compensation proved to be a Herculean task. TAP's website was anything but user-friendly, rejecting our refund requests repeatedly. Exhausted, we sought assistance at their customer service desk, only to hear that we had to use the malfunctioning website. At that point, it felt hopeless.

Lessons Learned: Never Again With TAP Air

We ended up spending nearly $400 more than planned due to this ongoing chaos. It wasn’t just the cancellations that troubled us—it was the compounded series of unfortunate events that made our travel experience unbearable. Lesson learned: I would gladly pay a bit more for reliable airlines like Delta or United in the future.

Final Thoughts: Is TAP Worth the Risk?

In the end, even with flight vouchers, the stress and financial losses led me to vow never to book with TAP Air again. If I did, I’d brace myself for yet another round of turbulence—just not the kind I signed up for.