Lisbon Flights

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Part of our decision to go to Lisbon was based on how convenient it was to get to from London. There are a few major airlines that fly there direct, such as British Airways, TAP Portugal & Easyjet.

We chose to fly TAP, and our flight was conveniently from Heathrow Airport (the closest airport to us).
We found the flight a good experience, staff were friendly and edible food was served.

Upon arrival in Lisbon there was long queues for non-EU residents at customs. After queuing for around 20 minutes we finally got to the front of the line....only to be told that we should have completed an Arrival form...we then had to go and find a form and join the back of the queue.

Humph. Luckily the queues were short by this time.

Lisbon airport is not too big, so quite manageable, with signs in Portuguese & English.

The Portuguese national airline, TAP, is a very comfortable, affordable and safe option when flying to Lisbon. They currently offer really good deals, which include open jaw tickets taking in a different city of return for the same price as a normal ticket. They are backed by the might of Lufthansa, and so offer the same level of service and reliabity as that giant. Unlike Lufthansa, though, they have never had an accident.

That said, they came pretty damn close to one when I flew into Lisbon from Frankfurt. The take-off was like grand prix with high speed right turn that had all the passengers careening over to one side. This was followed by a crisis in flight, when I saw the passengers jump up in alarm and start staring out onto the wing. There was a panic and the co-pilot came down to have a look too. Then it dawned on me that they weren't looking out of the window at the wing at all, but at a passenger who was obviously very sick. At first, and then feared they would turn the plane around, but after a while she seemed to recover.

To top everything the landing was buffeted by strong winds, rocking the plane from side to side. The landing was the second scariest yet, after my Garuda Airlines 747 bumped down the runway at Jakarta touching down half a dozen times before finally landing. This caused the Muslims who were returning from Mecca to start praying to Allah, while I sat grim faced and clutching my arm rests. This time the passengers all applauded after we came to a halt following sharp braking.

They can't be blamed for that (apart from maybe the sharp turn at the start) and the flight back from Porto was much calmer and altogether more pleasant.

This is Lisbon's only international airport and is unusually close to the city center (less than 10 km).
There are direct flights to/from most European cities and several African, Brazilian and American ones as well.

The portuguese carriers are TAP Air Portugal (www.tap.pt) and Portugalia (www.pga.pt).

It is quite well-organized and easy to move around.

Sometimes, when the air traffic is heavy and your plane is unable to land immediatly, it usually flies over the Tejo (Tagus) river and it is an amazing view (during the day).

There is a shuttle service (bus 91 - Aerobus) that takes you to the center in less than 20 minutes and costs 3.00 Eur, but gives access to other buses for a whole day.

You can also take bus 44 or 45 to Praça dos Restauradores and Cais do Sodré, respectively. They cost only 1.10 Eur.

Taxi's are also available, but you will most probably be tricked and pay more than you should. This is usually done by setting the wrong rate (night instead of day, for instance) or taking the long way. There really is nothing you can do, except asking at the hotel how much a ride should cost and try to convince the driver, before getting in, you know how much you will pay.

We found, that flights to Portugal - and especially Lisbon - are quite expensive. We were lucky to get a rather cheap return flight for 140 € p.p. including all taxes and fees.

The airport is modern and very conveniently located. We took the bus into town (*44 or *45 to Praca do Comercio) for € 1,10 p.p., and the ride was about 30 minutes. The express bus *91 (AeroBus) costs 3 €, but this is a day ticket, that you can use for the rest of the day on all buses, trams, lifts and the metro!

We choose a direct flight on Air Portugal through Anyway and we paid 184 Euros per capita for a round trip from Paris (Orly).
The travel lasted 2H15/2H30.
We had a lunch light but good.
At the arrival, the plane flies over the city at a low altitude and if the weather is fine, it is possible to shoot amazing photographes.
The airport is in the outskirts of the city and it is possible to reach quickly the center.
We chose the bus (areobus line 91) which is free at the arrival if you can show the AIR PORTUGAL boarding pass.

The Portela Airport is the country's most important airport, and plays an important role in the city's economic development and that of the entire Lisbon Region.

The national airlines are TAP Air Portugal (www.tap.pt) and Portugalia (www.pga.pt).

TAP (Air Portugal), the national airline, has direct flights to Lisbon from a number of destinations, including England, France, Spain, the USA and Canada.

It is located only 7km from the city centre. If you wish to drive to this airport in your private car you can use – according to where you come from – one of the following road accesses:
> North: A1 Motorway (Oporto/Lisbon) – Beginning of the 2ª Circular;
> Torres Vedras: A8 Motorway – CRIL(IC17) – Beginning of the 2ª Circular;
> South: Ponte Vasco da Gama – Beginning of the 2ª Circular - Ponte 25 de Abril – Eixo North/South – 2ª Circular;
> Cascais/Estoril: Motorway (A5) - CRIL (IC17) – 2ª Circular;
> Sintra/Amadora: IC19 – 2ª Circular (South/North direction) IC19 – IC 17 – Beginning of the 2ª Circular (North/South direction)
> Parque das Nações: Av. Marechal Gomes da Costa – Rotunda do Relógio – Alameda das Comunidades Av. Dr. Alfredo Bensaúde – Beginning of the 2ª Circular - Av. de Berlim

When you arrive to airport in Lisbon, you have:
Aerobus:
Departing every 20 minutes, comfortable
Buses (line 91, CARRIS) connect Lisbon Airport with the city centre.
Daily between 7.45am and 8.45pm.
The ticket can be purchased in the bus, and is
valid for the city bus and tram networks and
funiculars and the Sta Justa lift on the some day.

1 day €2,35
3 days . €5,65

Lisbon has a small airport with only one terminal that services all domestic and international routes. Located 7 km from the city center, the airport is well serviced by public transportation.

My synopsis of this airport is that it is a fairly lively place, very airy feeling with very high ceilings and expansive check-in areas. Once you have used this airport I think it would be fairly easy to navigate…but…on this initial use it took us too long to figure out where the correct flight check-in windows were actually located. Then after we’d stood in line for 30 minutes we discovered that they wouldn’t check us in as our flight was not yet into their computers. So we had to go to the back of the line and start all over again. It was pretty frustrating. The airport did have some nice shops and easy to use ATM machines. I found the restaurants to be pretty crowed and it was difficult to find a place to sit.

General Information.

Inexpensive luggage carts are available for rental at the entrance doors.

Restaurants open 24 hours are available in the airport, with Harrods providing a buffet and coffee shop. Passarola offers international cuisine while Iberusa has a wide range of local specialty dishes.

Duty-free shops and a selection of regular shops selling local delicacies, fashions, electronics and many other products are also available. Casa dos Sabores offers local Portuguese delicatessen produce.

A bank, 24-hour bureau de change and several ATMs are located in the terminal.

Ramps, lifts and specially designed telephones and toilets are available for disabled passengers. Airline staff can provide wheelchairs and assist wheelchair passengers through customs and immigration. Spaces for disabled drivers are available in the airport car parks.

The information desks located in the arrivals and departures halls and boarding lounge are open from 08:00 to 00:00. A tourist information desk can also be found in the arrivals hall (open from 06:00-02:00). Information hotlines are located throughout the terminal.