Gourmet Flyer On January 30, 2024, TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses) or Air Portugal opened the doors to their new Atlântico Premium Lounge in Lisbon Airport’s Non-Schengen area. This is a much-welcomed addition as the lines at passport control in LIS is unpredictable and often chaotic. Wait times between one to two hours is typical during peak seasons. At the non-Schengen club, you cannot predict when you should leave to allow enough time for passport control. I usually allow more than an hour but sometimes even that is not enough. Now we can all have peace of mind to relax at the lounge after immigration clearance.
Table of Contents
- Location
- Access
- First Impression
- Seating Areas
- Breakfast and All-Day Snacks
- Beverage Service
- Conclusion
Location
The TAP Atlântico Premium Lounge in Lisbon Airport (LIS) Terminal One is located in the non-Schengen area just a short walk after you exit from passport control. Follow signs to the departure gates and you will see the large lighted red and green TAP logo on your left, as shown in the picture above.
Hours as of this writing is 5:00am to 12:00am.
Access
My very brief and incomplete summary of access eligibility is as follows: Air Portugal’s Business Class passengers as well as the airlines’ Miles&Go Silver or above members on a TAP flight have access to this exclusive club. Star Alliance Gold members traveling on a partner’s flight are also eligible. Please visit Air Portugal’s website for official rules and admission policies.
First Impression
This TAP lounge is about one-third the size of the Schengen space – 100 vs 320 seats. The place was very busy early in the morning when I arrived. There was a line waiting to get in. What the staff did extremely well was that instead of letting all the passenger in and have them clog up the space while circling around to find seats, they asked them to wait in the lobby instead. Staff members cleaned empty tables and promptly ushered passengers to available tables/seats. My wife and I waited for about five minutes and were courteously led to a two-tops near the buffet. This was very well done, and I was impressed.
Seating Areas
The space here is rather compact so the seating arrangements are simple. The large room where food and drinks are located is set up just like a restaurant with mostly two-tops and a few four-tops. This is a versatile space to enjoy a meal or to get some work done. The only downside is that there are no charging outlets at these tables.
Along one of the walls is a long workbench which is equipped with both AC sockets and USB outlets. I like the trendy barstool-like seating that accompanies the workspace.
The other side of the club is divided into two small rooms. One room is set up with comfy sofas that serve as a relaxing space. A large screen there shows a loop of the airlines’ promotional videos as well as some soothing graphics at times.
The other room is fitted with large cubicle-like sofas that can be used as a workspace, as it is equipped with a small desk, a lamp, and charging outlets. It also doubles as a sleeping space. When I was there, I saw a lot of people taking a nap there curled up in an apparently rather comfortable position.
Breakfast and All-Day Snacks
There is a single long buffet counter against the back wall of the dining room where all the food is located. Compared with the TAP Lounge at the Schengen area, the space here is small and the menu is also limited. For breakfast, the only two hot dishes when I was there were scrambled eggs and bacon.
The next section consists of a cereal station with milk, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruits, as well as a bowl of mixed precut fruits. There are also several types of cold cuts accompanied by selections of cheeses. Among all the cold cuts, you have to try the local presunto serrano (Portuguese cured ham) that is somewhat like prosciutto but is much richer in flavor (due to a longer curing time).
At the far right of the counter is the baked goods section which offers a basket of freshly baked bread and croissants, lemon and banana cakes, as well as plenty of other sweets. At the centerpiece is Lisbon’s iconic pastel de nata – custard tart made with egg yolk, honey, and cinnamon and is easily recognized by its slightly burnt top. Some of you may already have had enough of these from the pastelarias that line the streets of Lisbon. But if you want to grab another one before your flight home, here’s your chance!
This is one of my breakfast plates. And yes, I opted to have one more pastel de nata before my flight home.
Beverage Service
All beverages are self-served at this Air Portugal Lounge. For your convenience there is a soda machine as well as dispensers that serve apple juice and orange juice.
There are two espresso machines. The one on the left has a simple one-touch operation. The other one has more options and appears to me as more sophisticated.
A good selection of teabags is available. You get your hot water from the coffee machines by selecting the “hot water” option.
There is not a bar or bartender service. All alcoholic beverages are self-served. You can see from the picture above all the liquors that were available during my last visit.
The wine list of my most recent visit was:
- RED: Paulo Laureano Nosso Terroir 2021 (Portugal)
- WHITE: José Maria da Fonseca 2022 JMF Branco White (Península de Setúbal, Portugal)
- SPARKLING: Adegamãe Blanc de Blancs (Lisbon regional)
A fridge with a glass door contains bottles of sparkling water, mixers such as tonic water or soda, tomato juice for bloody Mary, and beer. My only disappointment was that they only had Sagres. I was hoping that they would have Super Bock which was my favorite Portuguese beer.
Conclusion
Although this TAP Air Portugal Premium Lounge in Lisbon Airport’s non-Schengen area is a smaller and simpler version of its Schengen area counterpart, just the fact that this is after passport control is enough to convince me to go here – if solely for the peace of mind that I won’t miss my flight due to the unpredictable and insanely long lines at the immigration checkpoint.
But don’t judge a book by its cover. This relatively small place was very well run. As crowded as it was early in the morning, the staff worked very hard to clear and reset empty tables quickly and made them available to the next guests in a timely manner. Food offerings were somewhat limited, but more than adequate for a quick bite before my flight. The food was nothing sophisticated, just simple and good, with a nice touch of local flavors. I particularly enjoyed the presunto serrano and pastel de nata.
