TAP Air Portugal check-in: when and how to check in online
The rules below are checked against the official website. Checking in with TAP Air Portugal is always free: nobody needs to pay a service to do it, let alone a subscription.
📬 Free check-in reminder
Tell us when and where you are flying: we will email you as soon as TAP Air Portugal check-in opens, with the official link. The button takes you straight to the TAP Air Portugal website.
It opens 36 hours before departure. Give us your take-off time if you know it: the reminder will arrive at exactly the right moment, otherwise we aim for the evening of the day it opens.
Free, no spam. By setting the reminder, you agree to receive our useful tips before and during your trip. Unsubscribe in one click.
Who is TAP Air Portugal?
Founded in 1945, TAP Air Portugal is Portugal's national airline and a member of Star Alliance since 2005. Everything goes through its Lisbon hub, supplemented by Porto. In France, it links Paris Orly, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse with Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Funchal. Its real strength: Brazil, where it offers more destinations than any other European airline, and Portuguese-speaking Africa. The Portuguese state is in the process of privatising it, with Air France-KLM and Lufthansa having submitted their bids in July 2026.
On board, TAP plays the Portuguese card: hot meal and wine included in economy on long-haul, served on A330-900neos, for which it was the worldwide launch customer. Fares range from Discount to Plus: even the cheapest keeps the 10 kg cabin bag, but charges for checked bags, seat selection and any change. Cabins are decent without being luxurious, with the specialist press mainly praising the A330neo's Business class for its value for money.
TAP is a good choice for reaching Brazil, Cape Verde or Angola at a reasonable price, and its free stopover of up to 10 days turns the Lisbon layover into a second trip. It is much less so if your connection is tight or your timing critical: its delay statistics are the worst of the major European airlines and its Lisbon airport is saturated. Travellers taking a simple direct flight between France and Portugal, for their part, mainly risk a delay, rarely a cancellation.
What TAP Air Portugal does well
- Hot meal, Portuguese wine and a 10 kg cabin bag included on all fares, even Discount.
- The free stopover lets you stay up to 10 days in Lisbon or Porto at no extra cost on the ticket.
- Europe's leading network to Brazil, also handy for Portuguese-speaking Africa.
- Very few cancellations: around 0.05% of flights from January to May 2025, one of the lowest rates in Europe.
What often catches people out
- Punctuality is its Achilles' heel: 47% of flights delayed according to the Flightright study published at the end of 2025, the worst score among the major European airlines.
- Lisbon airport, designed for 11 million passengers a year, handles more than 30 million: queues and strained connections, and the future airport will not open before 2036.
- Ground staff strikes follow one another in Lisbon: around forty flights cancelled at the end of July 2025, with repeated strike notices until January 2026.
- Refunds drag on: specialist claims companies report thousands of claims, and AirAdvisor alone says it has handled more than 6,500.
🕐 Punctuality47% of TAP flights were delayed according to the Flightright study published in December 2025, the worst rate among the major European airlines.
Frequently asked questions
When does TAP Air Portugal online check-in open?
36 hours before boarding for most flights, via flyTAP or the TAP app. Exception: 24 hours before for flights to or from the United States, due to government restrictions.
When does TAP Air Portugal check-in close?
No single published time: TAP applies the check-in deadline of each departure airport, from 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes before the flight depending on the airport.
How do I get the free stopover in Lisbon?
When booking on flytap.com, choose the Add a free Stopover option: up to 10 days in Lisbon or Porto at no extra cost on the ticket, with discounts at more than 150 local partners.
Can I bring my pet in the cabin?
Yes, up to 8 kg including the bag, in a 45 x 30 x 23 cm bag, on request at least 24 hours before the flight. Allow from €40 on Portuguese domestic flights and €70 within Europe.
Rules taken from the official TAP Air Portugal website. They may change: the reminder we send always includes the current official link.
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