TURNED OFF TAP

I refer to Nuno Jesus’s star letter “Hunger Games” in the September issue of Business Traveller. I flew with TAP Air Portugal on TP1674, Madeira to Lisbon, on June 19 this year. I was in business class, in the front row. After we levelled out, I could hear signs of catering on the other side of the screen. However, when, after an hour, nothing was forthcoming, I asked if there was any food and wine service. No, came the curt answer – the flight was under-crewed. No announcement was made over the PA system either before or after my enquiry. The pilots were clearly getting coffee but we were not. Points to note: 1. The number of cabin crew were the same as the outwards flight from Lisbon a few days earlier, when a small snack and wine was provided. 2. The business class compartment was largely empty and the two female cabin crew in the galley simply busied themselves with chatting during the hour and a half-long flight. Where was the workload? 3. The return ticket, booked shortly before the

outward flight, cost £710.90. TAP’s website, the Strategic Plan, 2015-2020, has “improvement of the customer experience” as one of its five objectives. The airline has a very long way to go in the time left. Sam Chalmers, Dubai