VCE-LIS: My flight from Venice to Lisbon was a quick early morning flight on a A319. There was no particular business class cabin, but it was a regular row of seats with the middle seat blocked off. I didn’t have anyone in my row anyway. The only reason I’m mentioning this leg of the flight was due to the breakfast service, which was pretty nice for such a quick flight. Also, the view of Venice in the early morning daybreak as we flew away was breathtaking, and I won’t lie. I got a little teary-eyed. I absolutely fell in love hard with Venice, and to see it from the air as the tiny little place that it is just choked me up.
Once I arrived at Lisbon, I had a 5 hour layover. I could not figure out this airport to save my life. I am certain that I walked miles just looking for my gates, the lounge, etc. And it’s not even that complicated, once I figured it out. But I put some serious mileage on trying to figure things out. Good thing I had 5 hours to kill. The lounge was nice, and I spent about 3 hours in there. I found some chairs to put my feet up in, because my legs were destroyed by that time. A week of heavy walking in the oppressive heat and humidity of Venice really did a number on them. My feet were so swollen some days I could barely get them into my shoes. I enjoyed some snacks and wine. I would not say the selection was particularly amazing, but I didn’t go hungry while I was there.
LIS-BOS TAP Portugal Business Class A330
LIS-BOS: I knew this was going to be a long day of travel, and it was. Especially going east-to-west, you’re just constantly racking up the hours but not going forward in time much. Once I got through passport control at Lisbon, and boarded my plane, I settled into my seat in the business class cabin. I don’t know much about aircrafts, but I could immediately tell this was a much older plane. The “hard product” as they call it, was outdated, and the seat was an angle lie-flat seat instead of the flat bed I’d enjoyed on my Lufthansa flight. Basically the seat will go completely flat, but you’re held at an incline so you constantly feel like you’re going to slide off. Although I was beyond grateful for the legroom and being able to put my feet up a little, it just actually wasn’t that comfortable and I was surprised at what a difference it made. The plane had a bunch of dirt and crap all in the nooks around the buttons and controls, and was kind of gross. I could tell this was an older plane.
Still, the service was nice on TAP Portugal, and they kept bringing out the food, course after course.
I loved the little salad dressing bottle, but I could NOT get it open. I wish I had asked for help. The butter in the shape of a rosette was adorable. Loved all the small touches.
Overall it was a nice flight with TAP. I managed to get some sleep, but it wasn’t very restful due to the sliding-off feeling from the incline beds. The cabin was very open, and I felt like I could see what everyone around me was up to. As such, I ended up watching movies on other people’s tvs. Most of them were watching Star Wars.
Breakfast was served:
So with only 2 business class experiences under my belt, I have quickly learned that there is a huge difference between carriers, aircrafts, and things like hard products and soft products. I have learned to be a little more cognizant of what types of planes I’m booking, and to be sure to check the sleeping arrangements. It’s also VERY helpful to check Seat Guru before reserving your seats so you know which ones are the good ones and which to avoid!
