TAP Portugal (London Gatwick to Madeira Funchal) BUSINESS CLASS, AIRBUS A320

Route: London Gatwick to Funchal International Airport (Madeira Island) 

Departure date and time of flight: 13:00pm on the 4th of August 2009

Flight Number: TP349

Flight duration: 3h 45m

Class: BUSINESS CLASS

Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time from a rather unusually quite Gatwick Airport, and arrived around 10 minutes early into the normally very quite Funchal Airport!

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

I usually find it much easier to check-in at Gatwick without any hassle at all. There was no queue. The staff were very polite and professional. I was upgraded to Business Class on this sector of the flight.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or Coca Cola), and wine. Champagne was also offered.

Comments regarding the first meal: 

For lunch it was a penne pasta with broccoli and sautéed mushrooms. The sauce was slightly sticky, but that would be expected since this is airline food. You are eating at 37,000 feet and not in a 5* restaurant! To accompany the main dish the air hostess brought along a basket with a selection of breads- I went for the sunflower seed decorated roasted bun.

There was a small dish of fresh fruit, and to my surprise this was indeed fresh. Normally fruit in airline food is not really fresh, but rather been in the fridge for some time. But you could tell from the juices in the melons and the kiwi that the food was fresh. To top it all up was a lovely Danish pastry for desert- again very fresh and delicious.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal- this also consisted of wine and Champagne.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

Though a short flight, passengers in Business Class were open to go to the galley and choose from a selection of fine cheese slices, roasted bread and a selection of drinks.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

None

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. Despite the flight being full, there was a certain calm in the cabin- no noise, no complaints. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made: 

This was a great flight, and on such a short flight, it is difficult to find any faults. Everything was just fine.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The A320 has a standard 3-3 configuration for Economy Class, and a 2-2 seat layout for Business Class. TAP Air Portugal has a clean and fresh looking interior. The airlines colours of lime green and red are portrayed on the design of the seats. The seats are very comfortable, with a recline enough to stretch the legs during the short haul flight (although it can be sometimes classed as Medium Haul because it approach almost 4 hours)

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10

TAP Pre Lunch drinks: Copyright Navjot Singh

TAP: Lunch: Copyright Navjot Singh