For Angelenos, getting to Portugal used to mean a connection in London, Frankfurt, or Newark, a multi-leg day that turned a European trip into a logistical project. TAP Air Portugal‘s nonstop between LAX and Lisbon, operating year-round, cuts the trip to a single 12-hour-and-change flight. And with a new Economy Prime cabin, a rotating Premium menu from some of Portugal’s best chefs, and a stopover program that lets you build Portugal into a broader Eurotrip at no extra airfare, the airline is making the case that the flight itself is a rewarding part of the Portugal experience.
Travel comfortably in Economy Prime
As of June 1, 2026, TAP Air Portugal has offered Economy Prime, a long-haul cabin sitting between Economy and Business. It occupies the first three rows of the long-haul Economy cabin, and you’re guaranteed an empty seat alongside you. That means the cabin gets significantly quieter, and you have somewhere to put your book, your bag, and your elbows.
The benefits start before boarding. Economy Prime fares include premium check-in, fast-track security, priority baggage handling, and premium boarding, plus two checked bags free of charge — which leaves room for the handmade ceramics and Port wine on the way home. Onboard, you’ll get a premium main meal with a choice of two hot dishes, followed by a pre-arrival snack, and the travel kit at your seat is filled with Portuguese products.
And then there’s what’s on the cabin’s tray come meal time. TAP’s Local Stars program brings the talents of six Portuguese chefs to long-haul flights from Lisbon, each creating two complete menus served for two months at a time. The current rotation features chefs from across the country, including Ana Moura from the Alentejo Coast, Marco Almeida from Coimbra, Rita Magro from Porto, and Algarve-based Ricardo Luz — many of whom already run restaurants recommended in the Michelin Guide. Luz’s menu features a delicately prepared starter: fish salad with citrus vinaigrette, and Dom Rodrigo as a dessert, one of the Algarve’s most iconic traditional desserts. Whoever’s name is on the menu when you fly, the structure is the same: a starter, a regional main, and a Portuguese dessert built around a single ingredient or tradition the chef wants travelers to remember.
Lisbon: a gateway to all of Portugal
Photo: Yasonya/Shutterstock
Lisbon is the entry point, but it’s rarely the whole trip. TAP’s Portugal Stopover program makes it easy to add more Portuguese regions to your Lisbon-anchored itinerary, and TAP Air Portugal handles the short flights to destinations worth building a few days around. Here are just a few ideas of where your stopover can take you:
Porto: Port wine, painted tile, and the Douro
Porto sits about an hour north of Lisbon by TAP Air Portugal. The city is built on terraced hills above the Douro River, with Port wine lodges across the water in Vila Nova de Gaia, the Dom Luís I Bridge spanning between, and São Bento Station’s blue-and-white azulejo murals waiting at the city’s transit core.
Faro: Algarve’s capital and gateway to Ria Formosa
In the Old Town of Faro, the historic capital of Portugal’s Algarve region, you’ll find a 13th-century cathedral above whitewashed lanes, with a working marina just downhill where boats run day trips into Ria Formosa Natural Park, a protected lagoon system of sandbar islands. The marina itself has waterfront dining and easy access to the water.
Funchal: Madeira’s capital and the levada trail network
Travelers seeking an island escape will find one in Funchal, capital of the Madeira archipelago. Founded in the 1420s, the city sits between mountainous backdrops and Atlantic seascapes, with an Old Town and historic architecture worth a half day on foot. The island’s levadas, an impressive network of irrigation channels dating to the 15th century, double as walking paths. Don’t miss the Levada do Caldeirão Verde, a roughly 8-mile out-and-back through laurel forest to a waterfall.
Ponta Delgada: Rustic charm and outdoor adventure
The Azores are more untouched than Madeira — think fewer resorts and more crater lakes. São Miguel’s Sete Cidades caldera and Furnas geothermal hot springs are the places to start, while Ponta Delgada’s historic city center delivers the cultural side. The 16th-century Forte de São Brás houses a military museum, the Carlos Machado Museum features art and natural history, and the António Borges Garden and Jardim José do Canto offer walkable greenspace in town. The islands also support a deep range of water sports (surfing, diving, snorkeling) and some of the Atlantic’s best whale and dolphin watching.
TAP’s Portugal Stopover program goes further
Chapel of Souls in Porto. Photo: iacomino FRiMAGES/Shutterstock
While the Portugal Stopover is perfect for exploring the rest of the country, it also enables you to add Portugal to a longer European itinerary. You get one free stopover in Lisbon or Porto of up to 10 days at no extra cost, available on one-way, round-trip, or multi-city bookings as long as your stopover flight is operated by TAP. The success of the program is in the numbers: TAP’s Portugal Stopover has been voted Best Stopover Program by Global Traveler readers for eight consecutive years.
The benefits don’t stop there. During your stopover, you can get 25% off a domestic TAP flight — handy for tacking on a few days in the Algarve, Madeira, or the Azores without paying twice for the transatlantic. If you booked through flytap.com or the TAP Contact Center, the discount will arrive in your inbox as a promo code; if you booked through a travel agent, they’ll apply it directly to your booking.
You’ll also have access to more than 500 deals of up to 50% off from over 150 partners across Portugal, such as restaurants, hotels, tours, and more. Not a bad perk for a trip you were already planning. 