TORONTO, June 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Portuguese people the world over celebrate Portugal Day on Saturday, June 10, commemorating the death of the national literary icon Luis do Camoes in 1580.  Portugal’s national airline is celebrating Portugal Day with new nonstop service between Toronto and Lisbon.

The new flight runs five days per week.  It departs Toronto Pearson at 11:55pm, arriving in Lisbon at 12:15pm the following day.  The return flight departs Lisbon at 12:50pm and arrives in Toronto at 4pm.

Toronto is the latest route addition to a year of incredible growth for TAP.  The airline has added new aircraft and, last year, two new routes from the USA.  The number of passengers flying from the USA in the last year has doubled for the popular European carrier, named “Best Airline in Europe” for six consecutive years by Global Traveler magazine.  TAP currently flies approximately 12 million passengers a year.

The carrier’s A330 aircraft now feature full-flat beds in Business class, more comfortable Slimline seats in Economy, and some of the world’s most advanced inflight entertainment systems.

TAP, however, continues to reimagine the entire onboard experience.  This autumn, the airline will announce a revolutionized wine list, with a new selection model that will give Portuguese producers the opportunity to promote their products internationally.

Further, with TAP’s new “Taste the Stars” program, a team of seven  Portuguese chefs – who have all won Michelin Stars – are adding new Portuguese flavors to re-make the airline’s onboard cuisine, starting in September, in both Business and Economy cabins.

TAP’s cuisine consultant Chef Vítor Sobral is collaborating with six award-winning chefs, including Henrique Sá Pessoa, José Avillez, Miguel Laffan, Rui Paula, Rui Silvestre, and George Mendes.

Further, the Michelin chefs’ restaurants will also now be part of TAP’s popular “Portugal Stopover” program, where travelers can enjoy up to three nights in Lisbon and/or Porto en route to Europe or Africa for no extra airfare.

Lisbon is the second closest European capital to North America’s east coast (only Dublin is closer) making it a natural gateway geographically for a stopover on the way to Europe or Africa. The Stopover program features more than 150 partners offering exclusive prices for Stopover customers for hotels, a free bottle of Portuguese wine in restaurants and free experiences, such as tuk-tuk rides, visits to museums, dolphin watching in the River Sado and food tastings, among others.

TAP serves Lisbon from four US gateways:  New York’s JFK, Newark, Boston and Miami.  Beyond Lisbon, TAP currently serves 46 European destinations from Toronto via Lisbon including:  Portugal’s own Faro, Funchal, Ponta Delgada, Porto, Porto Santo, and Terceira; France’s Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Paris, and Toulouse; Germany’s Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich; Italy’s Bologna, Milan, Rome, and Venice; Spain’s A Coruña, Astúrias, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Valencia, and Vigo; the United Kingdom’s London and Manchester; and Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Geneva, Switzerland; Helsinki, Finland; City of Luxembourg, Luxembourg; Moscow, Russia; Oslo, Norway; Prague, Czech Republic; Stockholm, Sweden; Vienna, Austria; Warsaw, Poland; and Zurich, Switzerland.  TAP also serves Porto nonstop from Newark.

Also, TAP’s Stopover program applies to the airline’s 16 African destinations, including Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Algeria, Algiers; Guinea-Bissau, Bissau; Boa Vista, Cape Verde; Casablanca, Morocco; Dakar, Senegal; Lome, Togo; Luana, Angola; Maputo, Mozambique; Marrakech, Morocco; Praia, Cape Verde; Sal, Cape Verde; and Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe.

The Stopover booking option is available on the flight search mode in the www.flytap.com site and TAP also has launched an innovative app, available from the Apple Store or Google Play.

INAUGURAL FLIGHT MEDIA EVENT AT TORONTO PEARSON,
SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2017, 9PM

Media Note:   TAP will escort a limited number of media onto the airport tarmac to film the inaugural aircraft into Pearson, with a water canon salute upon arrival.

Please call Gareth on 917 399-9355 to confirm security escort for arrival footage.

About TAP Portugal

TAP is Portugal’s leading airline, and member of Star Alliance, the global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach, since 2005. In operation since 1945, TAP celebrated 70 years on March 14, 2015, and completed its privatization process in 2015, with the Atlantic Gateway Group now as new private shareholders of its share capital. TAP hub in Lisbon is a key European gateway at the crossroads of Africa, North, Central and South America, where TAP stands out as the international leading carrier in operation to Brazil. During the current IATA Summer period, the company’s network will comprise 76 destinations in 29 countries worldwide. TAP currently operates about 2,500 weekly flights in average on a modern fleet of 61 Airbus aircraft and 17 aircraft operating in TAP Express livery, TAP regional branded product, adding up to a 78 aircraft fleet. As of June 2016, the company took delivery of two additional A330s, thus increasing its fleet to 80 aircraft in total. Within the vast restructure program currently going across the company as the outcome of its privatization process, TAP has announced its Network restructure, its medium and long haul fleet renewal program as of 2017 and the retrofit of the fleet currently in operation as well as the launch of the new branded product TAP Express, which replaces PGA and operates a new fleet of 8 ATR 72 and 9 Embraer 190. In the pursuit of its customer-focused policy, TAP continuously invests to deliver safe, reliable and upgraded products & services, tailored to meet customers’ expectations. Retaining the Portuguese character of the Company’s brand and quality service as the basic concept has been the main driver of TAP strategy in most recent years. Recognized and awarded as Europe’s Leading Airline to Africa as well as Europe’s Leading Airline to South America by the World Travel Awards in 2015 and 2014, the company was also awarded as the WTA World’s Leading Airline to Africa in 2011 and 2012 and the WTA World’s Leading Airline to South America in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Voted Best Airline in Europe in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and again in 2016 by the Global Traveler, USA, the company was also honored by UNESCO and by the International Union of Geological Sciences with the IYPE “Planet Earth Award 2010”, in the category of “Most Innovative Sustainable Product”. TAP was also voted Best Airline by Condé Nast Traveller Magazine in 2010, Best Portuguese Tourism Company by the specialized magazine Marketeer, in 2011 and also the airline with Best Reputation by the Reputation Institute in 2014, while its Inflight Magazine UP was voted Best European Inflight Magazine by the WTA awards in 2015.

For further information, please go to www.flytap.com.

Media contact:
Gareth Edmondson-Jones
GEJ, Ink
1-917-399-9355
GEJink@gmail.com