I was SHOCKED by Portugal's BEST AIRLINE!

I flew TAP Air Portugal business class from Miami to Bologna and had no idea what to expect.TAP Air Portugal is the national airline of Portugal with their homebase being Lisbon. The business class seat shocked me, it was quite a surprise and in this video I’ll share with you my honest thoughts on the food, service and comfort level of business class on TAP Air Portugal. And stay until the end to see one of the best hotel rooms I will stay at all year, the Hotel Art Commercianti In Bologna (en.art-hotel-commercianti.com....
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#tapair #businessclass

[@Alfablue227]

So happy TAP has pleased you. They have had a lot of issues, and their Customer Service sucks, but they are trying to overcome and become topnotch. Their online food is fine, free drinks even in Economy, and most important, their aircraft are maintated by a world class maintenance department, AND their safety record is one of the best in the industry . TP has some of the best pilots in the air, and after 70 years their safety record shows it. Thanks for reviewing my national carrier; we hope you fly us again soon. ❤

[@ricarmig]

As long as the government allows that TAP (and many other with public funds ) CEOs are paid like kings and the board gets bonus when the company is losing money and clients, it can’t be good. I’m Portuguese and I called TAP customer service and I was transferred to a Brazilian agent that barely understood Portuguese from Portugal (pt-pt). HOW can it be that I’m in my own country talking to a national company and the customer support barely understands me? (And I have no special accent, I speak the “main” clear Portuguese). It can’t be good. I hope now they get their things together and the company gets better. I must note that the plane personnel has been always great and helpful. As usual, most of the problems have nothing to do with the “field” workers: they do what they can but the “big fishes” are the ones who earn the most and do the least.

[@Alfablue227]

@@ricarmig I get you, but the "big fish" CEO's are everywhere. As a Portuguese I would rather pay very well a CEO that makes TP into the airline it could be, but of course workers must be fairly well paid as well...everywhere, and that is NOT the case even in capitalistic societies. How do I know? I worked for an American carrier that even 29 years ago in the USA paid no more than US$8 an hour ! That's a miserable wage in the USA and you certainly cannot half live on that. As for the Brazilian that could not even understand PT Portuguese, that's obviously management's fault, however, he is not the reason for TP's problem. Myself, I worked 14 years for Varig Brazilian Airlines. Most Brazilians I spoke to couldn't understand my Lisbon accent, yet I am not the reason why Varig went under, that's for sure.

[@santostv.]

Tap should have d1ed long ago but now that they are making money we better keep controlling it to increase the value and down the line sell this sh1tshow to recoup some money, klm and Iberia better open their check books😂 We have good workers and talent but bad management and marketing, if this continues Portugal is going to be a retirement home with migrants as the server class, modern day “feudalism”, they are lazy because daddy government will always help them with behind close deal even tho there’s better companies out there in Europe ect bunch of cartels

[@valtervalente5302]

Customer service sucks because they fired everyone (myself included) from reservations and destroyed the department, pretty much ruined the company. Replaced us with a useless random call center from Altice, which isn’t part of the company. Now you gotta deal with people that barely speak English, get paid minimum wage, with zero career progression.

[@Alfablue227]

@@valtervalente5302 Valter sorry you were let go, but ever before that sad happening, TP's Customer Service was always bad. I remember being on hold for over 45 minutes and then being given wrong info by their customer service representatives! Customer service in Portugal is shockingly (almost) non-existent, and co.s/businesses need to understand their clients can make or break a company. Despite TP's horrible customer service the airline has survived this far only because of the enormous amounts of (tax payer) bail outs, monopoly on certain routes where there's hardly any competition, TP's importance in the country's economy, and their safety record. Actually, TP has recently ranked nr. 15 amongst the top 20 best carriers in the world, beating out American carriers, JAL and other top carriers. Not because of their horrid customer service, but because they got their act together when faced with the latest "due or die" situation, and latest public and (internal) government "spanking"! They know the buck stops here now, and either they whip it up or they are done! Goes to show that although customer service is a very important factor in overall performance, what really counts is safety, maintenance, and newer more efficient plane fleets.

[@PhillipMuchiri]

This is officially my current favorite youtube channel. F1, travel, photography,, what else could you ask for?

[@KymIllman]

Well, this is great news. Many thanks.

[@AirwaysMagazine]

@@KymIllman pretty amazing combination 😍

[@brunom6153]

Nice having You near Kym! I am Portuguese, see all your videos, and also a TAP Frequent Passenger ! Big hug from Portugal Kym 🇵🇹 ❤!

[@KymIllman]

Glad you like them!

[@jennyapperti8644]

I love TAP, I discovered them on my first flight to Lisbon, they truly are fantastic!

[@DanTheCaptain]

I recently flew TAP a handful of times and have to say it’s become one of my favourite airlines to fly on! The crew are amazing and the service is excellent! Definitely one of the best legacy carriers in Europe, I’d say!

[@arjanhhn1381]

I'm from the Netherlands and going to Imola this weekend. We flew yesterday, and we stay at Modena. Today we went to Marinello, it was beautifull, you will see.

[@KymIllman]

I was there too. Video coming soon.

[@Thuddster]

I love, love, love Maranello, and Modena. Beautiful towns, great people, yummy gelati. Be sure to load up on some 20 to 30 yr Balsamico Acieto when there! Oh, they do make some sweet cars in the neighborhood, too. 😊

[@luisbento91]

When flying overseas to any capital in Europe with TAP air Portugal, the best thing to do is a free stopover during 3 days in Lisbon, enjoying the city and its surroundings. It's a marvellous place!

[@missVmilne]

Cracking story telling, great camera work and editing. Thank you for sharing Kym (& your BTS A-Team : - )

[@KymIllman]

Cheers.

[@glenniseather8254]

For someone that’s looking to go to some races in other countries , this video is valuable and full of information. Love to see how you get to each race . Can’t wait for a video on the Ferrari factory..

[@prospect8696]

This channel is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I give it a 8.7

[@KymIllman]

Nice

[@andrewab1209]

Loved this review of TAP. Looking into their business class flights coming back home from our honeymoon in September! Looking forward to the rest of the Imola content!

[@SmartRace]

G'day Kym, just wanted to say how much I enjoy being able to follow you traveling through the F1 calendar. Keep up the great work! Hope you'll have a great time in Maranello and Imola. Cheers from Germany

[@KymIllman]

Thank you! Will do!

[@shangtv3111]

I love how you keep it short and interesting, not everyone can do what you do.

[@CJ-gp9yh]

It’s amazing how well directed and professional your videos are. Liked when you entered the hotel, this is the hotel - then the girls said the name

[@ArmaniStudio]

Customer service is horrible everywhere.. I feel your pain… it’s banks, rental car companies, TV cable companies, and most companies. I just had idiots at Robinhood take $1300 from me and their customer service is located in customer service centers in Philippines and they don’t know sht about what they are talking about.

[@KymIllman]

They are just trained to read a script

[@EUROAIRWAYS]

Hi Kym, i am so happy of sseing you giving a review to the my countrys airline, i hope you comeback to lisbon in 2035, because my contry is building a new airport that is going to be the biggest airport in Portugal

[@edwardhewer8530]

Geez, my favorite rental car company got a bit of a serve...eek... Flown a couple times on TAP. I love Portugal so much I married a Portuguese girl so I am biased. Glad you were taken care of.

[@joanofarcxxi]

You have very good taste.

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

Enjoy these videos - nice work! You’ve been pumping them out lately … I assume you must employ a video editor? (It takes me close to a month to edit one video while fitting it around a full time job 😂)

[@1bluensx]

Kym, love your content. For 30 years of renting cars for travel in the US, I used to use Avis, hertz, national, thrifty, etc. they all suck. Over the last 3 years I started using Turo, and I love it. I’ve gotten great cars, and convenient as hell. Just make sure you only search cars that are pick up and drop off at airport. For the most part, the cars are sitting in the lot waiting for me with keys under mat, and then returning, I do the same.

[@nancymiller7984]

I am flying TAP business class in December. I'm so looking forward to it.

[@RobertMacCready]

Another interesting travel video. You must have millions of FF miles. Thanks again for taking us along. It was very interesting...as usual!! I hope you film your visit to the Ferrari factory.

[@KymIllman]

Watch tonight’s video

[@renatolira3518]

Gooday Kim as a portuguese Australian, avgeek, I'm glad u enjoyed our Portuguese airline and given it a great rap. Well done and let's hope Daniel goes well,,,

[@oliverbaylis7773]

Love your honest words about the hawkers, made me laugh, safe trip!

[@KymIllman]

Glad you enjoyed its

[@dbowen7346]

Kym good on ya for letting your sense of humor out a little it's a nice style touch.

[@KymIllman]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Dutchbird757]

You’ll be surprised how big Recaro is in the airplane seat market. Both Business and Economy.

[@The_Racing_Kraft]

I was going to say, I see recaro seats on planes all the time.

[@TheFilipeLemos]

Ryanair has recaro seats!

[@pauloribeiro791ster]

Hello Kym, I've been following you for a while, I love your videos, they're fascinating. Yesterday I was surprised when I saw that you were in a Portuguese company, because I'm from Portugal. Usually the Portuguese criticize their airline. A big hug from Portugal. OBRIGADO.

[@KymIllman]

Wow, thank you!

[@mohamerda-]

they criticize it because public money is used in order to keep the company alive.

[@antonioharannogueira305]

@@mohamerda- Exactly ! The portuguese pay for others to use the airline!

[@hendrikdevries9725]

Grrreat review!

[@releone181]

Love watching your travel shows between Grand Prix. Any chance you can make a video about how you plan and coordinate your travels?

[@KymIllman]

It wouldn’t be much of a video. I just sit down in front of a laptop and press buttons

[@russellvoth5161]

Great review of the trip. Hope your Ferrari plant tour is educational . Thanks

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Thanks for sharing.

[@KymIllman]

You bet

[@IFORGOTWH0]

Will be going to Lisbon in September via TAP, I'm sure will be a great experience !

[@eunaosouovasco]

Hey I’m Portuguese and I know (I watch the news here) that airline gives us a lot of problems haha, glad you enjoyed! Another thing, is the airport very busy? we have complained about that for years and our government finally aproves the contraction of another one!

[@ElPierdolito]

Childhood memories right there! Being a Portuguese myself (born in Lisbon), I remember flying from Amsterdam (where I lived since my 3rd year until 14 years ago, in Krakow PL since 2010) to Lisbon and back for summer holiday's with TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses a.k.a. Portuguese Aerial Transports). Jealous Portuguese people in Lisbon would call us 'flying Dutch cows' .... Anyways, I am glad you enjoyed the flight! Thank you for the video.

[@LuisMiguel-sm5hr]

viva Portugal ,Foz , sao martinho do Porto, Nazare. Thanks kym great work,love your videos.

[@vintagevinylvets1187]

Thanks again Kym! Honestly, with all the traveling you do, it’s got to be trying at times.

[@KymIllman]

It can be, but it’s mostly the packing and unpacking that’s the painful bit

[@lawrenceakini4981]

Obrigado. Have an amazing day! Cheers.

[@KymIllman]

You too!

[@CallieMasters5000]

Last time I flew into Bologna, I stayed at the Jolly hotel, the one outside of town. They had free bus transfers to the downtown location, and Bologna is an easy distance to both Venice and Florence by train for day trips. The Jolly was really nice for great rates and free buffet, but this was many years ago. Now it's called NH Bologna Villanova hotel, but it still gets good ratings.

[@chriswellstead776]

Interesting report Kym thanks, by the way the nearer the front that you sit the earlier you hit the ground!!

[@KymIllman]

A millisecond is gonna make no difference

[@chriswellstead776]

@@KymIllman True, for some reason you stand more chance of survival in an aircrash by taking a rear seat near the tail. Still safer flying than driving. Stay safe and keep up the great work, looking forward to receiving my hat next month.

[@Igorski17]

Literally flying from Miami with TAP to see Italian GP. See ya there Kym!

[@unhuz]

Hi, FYI, Recaro made seats for transportation (airplane, train, bus, etc) long before making sport seats for cars ;)

[@chipeirachonks5963]

Its good to see someone in business get the bang for their buck. Most people would be like oh i dont really eat on the plane, but Kyms always like, "you got extras?" 😂

[@Meowmeter]

Greetings from Portugal everyone🇵🇹 ❤️ 🌍

[@barclay50]

Love car rental companies and their inovative charges! Always wondered about TAP good to know, hope you eat at Vicolo Colombina in Bologna of Sfolgia Rina amazing pasta

[@Max_Flashheart]

TAP looks great

[@joelbates8243]

As a (half) Portuguese, welcome to Portugal mate and thanks for trying TAP (it's actually T.A.P not TAP as the TAP stands for, in English, Transport Air Portugal.)

[@Filipasenra4]

Portuguese folks say it like Kim.

[@stevehitzman328]

hahaha.....try Sunrise Car Hire Broome. you will love the experience. pity there is no GP up here. Cheers mate

[@riptuckertc]

Great info. How do you record your audio oh the go, as it’s always quite solid

[@KymIllman]

Rode NTG mic on top of R5

[@riptuckertc]

@@KymIllman thank you

[@nezbrun872]

AVIS yes, a complete waste of space because there's no way to contact the local offices, you just get a call center who haven't got an effing clue. Scenario: YVR, on-airport lot, my elderly father can't walk too far let alone deal with baggage in tow, so I wanted to know if they had baggage trolleys readily available. Of course they didn't know, so said no. So I dropped off my father at the terminal with the baggage while I returned the vehicle. Of course, when I'd driven round to the lot, baggage trolleys were everywhere.

[@KymIllman]

The customer is a nuisance

[@melissanoonan3301]

All power to you Kym - gold effort, I don't know how you do it! Avis call centre reminds me of 'Services Australia' for my mother - PS don't do it!!!!

[@weiliu748]

I still remember there was once you dropped a camera or something when filming on a similar balcony in one of your Europe vlog one or two years ago. And here you are back on a similar balcony filming gives me Deja vu.

[@KymIllman]

That was a pair of glasses in Barcelona

[@albertYVR]

Welcome to italy! If you can try to squeeze a visit to Modena, smaller than bologna but just as beautiful (not to mention the great food)

[@KymIllman]

Didn’t have time today, but look out for my video on Maranello

[@AntonSostaric]

Great vid Kym . More questions! Is there a cost threshold for ID value? eg your flight was $250/hour. Are you booking everything yourself or using travel agent? Re accomm: what % are you returning to year after year ?

[@joaodordio]

Hey @Kym when are you properly returning to portugal? I loved your video on Lisbon the last time around! Would love to meet you in person, photographer to photographer!

[@KymIllman]

When I get an F1 race, I’ll be there

[@MGBranco]

Just the best in the world!

[@watchlover8297]

Hi Kym. Great channel btw. Where do you put your camera gear? Do you ship with a teams cargo? You getting the new Canon R1??

[@KymIllman]

I carry it with me and yes to the R1.

[@Ana-go5bf]

I'm a TAP frequent flyer. I find them one of the safest and best airlines I could choose.

[@JOMI40]

Glad you enjoyed our national airline Kym! 🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹

[@KymIllman]

The best!

[@joanofarcxxi]

My favorite airline. Best pilots too.

[@dangertomarketing]

You've sat on many many Recaro seats in the past, but they were not visibly branded. :)

[@Beantownreview]

TAP for the WIN

[@Daniel-tc5ri]

Kim, I have seen Recaro seats on Lufthansa since quite a number of years even economy

[@V1Rotate380]

I just want to know what the fee is to drop the car at the airport Off.😂 I really enjoyed your Video Kym

[@KymIllman]

It’s a mystery that is only revealed once you’ve dropped it off.

[@smith5312]

I really enjoyed the vid on Drivers accommodation costs, have you ever done a vid on what it costs for “pro F1 Photographer” to travel the circuit for the whole season ?

[@CallieMasters5000]

I think he did an end of year recap in years past that totalled up the money and time spent traveling the circuit. Especially when he had to stay out of Australia for Covid, it was a lot.

[@smith5312]

@@CallieMasters5000 cheers, I’ll have a look. 👍

[@KymIllman]

I do that once a year for the tax office

[@samuelyoseph25]

Kym, next year you should try Cafe Versailles in Miami for Cuban breakfast food. A go to every time i am in Miami

[@KymIllman]

I drove past it on the way to the airport

[@CallieMasters5000]

Is that the place they pronounce it "Ver-sales" and not like the palace?

[@dellplummer5173]

Im drooling.😥

[@portuabreu]

Flight is MIA-LIS not MIA-LIB Other than that, awesome video Im portuguese and we are proud of TAP 🇵🇹

[@xmaniac99]

Yaj TAP is allright, their customer service (on the phone) is top notch compared to US based carriers

[@michaeldellorso889]

I’m flying this airline from Boston to Lisbon

[@utube321piotr]

I presume Kym that most of your flights are ONE way since that is how you travel the GP calendar. How do you get good deal on one way tickets and do you book them well ahead of time or last minute?

[@413TomaccoRoad]

1:10 Markus Pix impression 😅

[@stephenourada3217]

I travel a lot and I always rent from National A+

[@rallealyt]

Altough there are always complains, generally TAP and SATA are two very nice and safe portuguese airlines.

[@casa909]

10:20 Bologna has about the same number of residents as Miami

[@davidbarker9068]

TAP are a fantastic airline

[@rx5022]

You guys must be on drugs. TAP, Take Another Plane. The only airlines who ripped me off during the pandemic. And I fly a lot. Terrible, soviet monopolist style service. Kym got a sweet deal. Excuse me, I have to go throw up.

[@davidbarker9068]

@@rx5022 your clearly a clown 🤡.

[@Highervibesofficial]

sooo as your in the region lambourghini factory tour please !!!

[@jerrywarren2007]

TAP gets bad marks as their website can be non-functional (from the US). I took them from Chicago to Lisbon and back 2 years ago. Flights/food were excellent. You just have to call them if there are issues/questions.

[@JPixJ040]

Just a little correction, Lisbon's airport code is "LIS", not "LIB". Also, it's TAP Air Portugal. Great video!

[@KymIllman]

I’ve disciplined my editor severely thank you

[@zztops4504]

They'll tap ya where you need it the most!

[@Lesalan0s]

Hey kym where are u staying when u are in Monaco and when are u doing your next live stream

[@Kessoku]

he's flipping his finger 🤣

[@PaulAmlin]

I will only ever use Enterprise Car Rental if possible. All others are substandard in my experience.

[@chrisprideaux151]

I’ve flown TAP a few times, non-business unfortunately, but always found them good value for money & extremely courteous staff 😊

[@KymIllman]

Thanks for sharing!

[@surbs.m]

Hi, I am curious to know how the driving license requirements work for you and the F1 crew (drivers, trainers, team people, etc)? Is there a special international license or driving permission system for different countries?

[@KymIllman]

I needed to show my international drivers license here, but it changes for each country

[@stevepaul1190]

Love the Deez Nutz drop at 5:35! And I like your honesty about the street vendors trying to sell you 💩.

[@the_rocksf1148]

Yes is it crap they are selling. Sadly these guys are everywhere tourists are these days and you have to feel for them. Can you imagine having nothing and having to swallow your pride to make a few dollars ?? People are quick to judge and short sighted.

[@stevepaul1190]

@@the_rocksf1148 I dealt with them in Cabo and Can Cun Mexico. While I understand their situation, when you pay big $$ to stay at an all inclusive resort, you don’t want to be bothered by people trying to sell you stuff.

[@the_rocksf1148]

@@stevepaul1190 I know and I get that. Remember we are more fortunate than most if we able to travel the world and stay in secure and safe places. Those people most likely aren’t and are usually working for a higher up brute. Cheers from the land down under ✌️

[@stevepaul1190]

@@the_rocksf1148 Cheers mate!

[@hardlabscentral]

whats an estimated montlhy budget for you both on race calendars? 20K? including air and hotels? cheers

[@timaz1066]

Cilantro is yummy Kym.

[@AUmarcus]

It's revolting. 🤮

[@michaeltorpy3366]

Did they have southern comfort at any lounges

[@ShiftBreak450cc]

Portugal Mentioned

[@Guipc7]

the 3 letters for Lisbon airport aire LIS😅

[@vampir335]

take the hawker to the GP

[@adamos3839]

👍👍👍

[@DXB711]

Thought you always used F42 for rental cars.

[@martinlanders6135]

Those car rental companies a masterclass in how NOT to treat your customers 🙄😂

[@alltheusernameswastaken8936]

"2500$ good value for a 10 hour flight" mmm reality is not the same for all of us...

[@KymIllman]

We pay just shy of that for a 4hr flight in business on Qantas. And it’s not a patch on Tap.

[@Zabrownfish]

I once got the opportunity to fly British Airways Business class for two 7-8 hour flights from Washington DC to Islamabad. Cost was $2000 per person. This was right as the pandemic was ending in early 2022. Those days are well and truly gone in most cases. I don't think I'd be able to get a cross country lie flat seat flight from DC to California for that price anymore. 2500 for a transatlantic 10 hour lie flat flight is pretty good value now I'd say.

[@AlbertZonneveld]

Business class

[@dennisbrannvalls1fan964]

He’s lost touch with the common man

[@DavidDickenson-bb4nk]

There is a difference between good value and price. He never said it was cheap

[@zienatasilviestu4698]

Is the rental car company headache universal around the world or only in the US? It would make sense if US customer service was less accommodating, although I have limited car rental experience so I can’t compare within that industry.

[@Disturbed666METAL]

No wouldn’t say so. SIXT and Europcar are good in my opinion. Never had problems with both of them. For example. I rented a Tesla last year in Spain and the website says that the supercharger are included in some countries, but of course they don’t mention which countries. So I wrote them and they actually gave me a Mail Adress for the Station in Spain.

[@DuddiPranav]

Hey Kym, wanted to know your thoughts on the new air India a350 after Tatas takeover.

[@xsmegas]

Karen Ilman made me like the video IMMEDIATELY.

[@KymIllman]

Good to know

[@hushcolours]

AUD$2500, not USD$2500, I believe. There’s a big difference.

[@velvetjones1856]

While at Ferrari, have lunch at the Cavallino resturaunt.

[@KymIllman]

Watch my upcoming video?

[@velvetjones1856]

@@KymIllman Cavallino is like a Ferrari shrine, but with great food. I had their lasagna.

[@CallieMasters5000]

Who's to blame for that bungled notice the other day for your signed Lando prints? They had your last name misspelled and I commented somebody must have been drunk or going too fast. I see it was corrected and re-released later. I'm thinking you could get Lando to sign these prints too, after your doing the videos with him in the past about his bogus height measurement and the cookie incident. You're old pals by now, and that's a great photo he'd probably want to keep as well.