“Portugal needs everyone” is a slogan of the Ministry of Economy so that the Portuguese prefer “Made in Portugal” products when shopping. But should we really give preference to all national products? It is true that we have brands, such as Vista Alegre or Port wines, that are in the four corners of the world and that we feel proud when we know that one of these places is Buckingham Palace or the White House. But it is also no less true that one of our brands makes us blush with shame. I miss TAP.
Officially, the national air carrier says that “more than 80 destinations in more than 30 countries are waiting for you!” and promises “the most modern planes, ready to accompany you on your travels”. It also says that “it focuses on service and leadership in the air transport market and related activities, with a view to generating returns for investors”. But what you read in the press, on social media, what a normal citizen lives at the airport is very different from what he tells. I would even say it’s a lie!
I know very well that TAP means airplanes, that ANA means airport management, that Groundforce means ground handling for air transport. I also know that for a plane to fly safely it is necessary to unite these entities and a series of unions. However, when I buy a plane ticket to get from point x to y, I fly with TAP, which is the face of a big team.
It so happens that with TAP every day you hear reports of delayed flights, the poor service of the ground staff, luggage that does not arrive at its destination (which travels around the world before being delivered to the owner), who saw your flight canceled or delayed.
For this Portuguese, TAP is a financial hole and the privatization process should never have been reversed, but once it is done, you have to have the courage and correct the mistake. For this Portuguese, it makes no sense for the State to maintain a company that is a sink of millions of euros, which provides a service that is painful for those who buy it, which is a terrible ambassador for the Portugal brand.
It is not my habit to use this space to talk about my life, but what I experienced with TAP on a Saturday when I wanted to travel to celebrate a special moment was transformed into a real nightmare. Already on the bus on the way to the plane, we received the information of a canceled flight.
“Safety first” was one of the reasons for this cancellation. Looking at the list of TAP flights with constraints that afternoon – 14 flights –, I conclude that the fleet is either old or poorly maintained. I also heard that the cancellation had to do with “operational issues”. Bearing in mind that TAP’s operation is planned in advance, the routes and daily flight schedules, the excuse shows that there is no competence to guarantee the operations that are its source of income. Well, every failed operation implies operational losses!
Adding to all this the way they treated passengers. Arrogance, bad manners and contempt was what I found that afternoon, where I saw my flight canceled and where I couldn’t find a solution in time.
If TAP is a flag of Portugal, it is conveying the image of a disorganized country, without strategy and with an arrogance that is not to be missed. Now if the planes have so many problems, if the operations have so many delays, what is the relevance of owning TAP?
Why is the flag company not extinguished, as countries dubbed “model countries” did? We would lose less and each Portuguese would gain more. We would be proud of the decision and we could channel the funds towards Health, Education, Security, and, why not, towards high speed.
As it is, it cannot stay. TAP is a kind of silent cancer, which consumes our wallet and patience whenever we try to travel on board its planes. And the talk that TAP makes repatriations in case of need is no longer useful. For those eventualities we can always rent passenger planes, just as we rent amphibious firefighting planes.
TAP was once a reference in aviation for several reasons. I’ve already felt proud to see a plane with our flag around the world, I’ve already felt the comfort of greeting the crew in Portuguese after days of travelling.
Not today. That Saturday, I found myself apologizing to several foreign passengers for the service not provided, and justifying that Portugal is not like that, that we are a tourist destination par excellence and we know how to receive. However, when these tourists tell me about the airport and the appalling conditions in which they waited, or the lack of a fixed fare for taxis as in civilized countries to avoid abuse on the way, I start to run out of arguments.
I’ll save the answer to the messages I’m going to receive saying that not all employees are the same, that I can’t treat everyone equally. It’s true, I spoke with about 10 employees in this process – one of them was quite correct in telling me that, if the flight they were heading to, there would be no chance of flying, as it was in total overboking due to the cancellation of the previous one.
When preparing the State Budget proposal for 2023, it would be interesting to inscribe in it the political courage to “go back” and correct the mistake. Likewise, it would be interesting if the conversation that the leader of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, will soon have with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Infrastructure, to discuss the future Lisbon airport, could include the future of TAP. It’s just that I’m still not convinced of the government’s intention to accelerate the privatization of the airline to 100% in order to complete it in 2023.
It would be strategically more important for us to own the airports, and we haven’t been for a long time, I don’t understand the nationalists who defend TAP as a national symbol and who even compare it to the discoveries. I don’t even want to understand. If TAP had to lead a discovery, it would get there late, guaranteed.
Please pay someone to keep the company, as happened with the new bank, it is better to limit losses than to keep the company in this state. I believe that private customers think about the customer, the need to fulfill the purchase expectation, make the experience attractive and boost sales.
Let TAP fly without delaying our development and without excess weight in our pockets.
The texts in this section reflect the personal opinion of the authors. They do not represent the VISION or mirror its editorial positioning.
