TAP Portugal Now Features Michelin Stars Onboard


Six Chefs - Henrique Sá Pessoa, José Avillez, Miguel Laffan, Rui Paula, Rui Silvestre and Vítor Sobral – Now Fly the Best of Portuguese Flavors Around the World

NEW YORK, April 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAP Portugal is collaborating with five Chefs with Michelin stars who, along with TAP’s cuisine consultant Chef Vítor Sobral, will introduce the “Taste the Stars” program to further enhance its customers’ travel experience. The addition of the country’s most renowned Chefs takes TAP’s mission to share Portuguese flavors to new heights.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a3fc8e5a-cae0-45b4-b50f-1329e6bdd5a8

Starting in September, inflight meals will include a creation from one of the five Michelin star chefs who have accepted the challenge to promote the best of Portuguese cuisine.

“Portugal is often referred to in international media as ‘the best kept secret in Europe.’ TAP’s commitment in announcing this project is perfectly clear: we will do everything we can so that Portugal is no longer a secret,” said Fernando Pinto, TAP Portugal’s Chairman, at the official launch of this project in the Palácio Pimenta, in Lisbon.

TAP’s chairman believes this agreement with the six Chefs “will allow more people to discover the excellence of our cuisine and fall in love with Portugal: with its aromas and scents, its sunshine and sea, its wines and cuisine and, of course, its culture.”

As part of the “Taste The Stars” project, TAP also will offer a platform to other gifted chefs – young talents trained by the six official Chefs, and given the opportunity to present their creations and suggestions as part of the inflight service.

TAP flies around 12 million passengers a year, and is growing. In its capacity as a body that brings national flavours to the world, in 2016 TAP served 14 million in-flight meals, almost 2 million litres of water, 1.7 million litres of fruit juice and soft drinks, almost 37 thousand kilos of coffee, 175 thousand litres of beer and more than 500,000 litres of wine, all of which was produced domestically.

In the coming months, TAP will also announce a revolutionized wine list, with a new selection model which will give Portuguese producers the opportunity to promote their products internationally.

With the “Taste the Stars” project, the Chefs will create meals for TAP passengers, discover, promote and encourage new Portuguese cooking talents, reinvent the use of several regional products, be part of national and international TAP cooking events (in New York or São Paulo, for instance). Further, the Michelin chefs’ restaurants will also now be part of TAP’s “Portugal Stopover” program, which provides complimentary bottles of wine for travelers who visit Lisbon or Porto en route to destinations throughout Europe and Africa.

For more information about the Chefs: 
https://youtu.be/xXJoeHEzgM8

About TAP Portugal

TAP is Portugal’s leading airline, and member of Star Alliance, the global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach, since 2005. In operation since 1945, TAP celebrated 70 years on March 14, 2015, and completed its privatization process in 2015, with the Atlantic Gateway Group now as new private shareholders of its share capital. TAP hub in Lisbon is a key European gateway at the crossroads of Africa, North, Central and South America, where TAP stands out as the international leading carrier in operation to Brazil. During the current IATA Summer period, the company’s network will comprise 76 destinations in 29 countries worldwide. TAP currently operates about 2,500 weekly flights in average on a modern fleet of 61 Airbus aircraft and 17 aircraft operating in TAP Express livery, TAP regional branded product, adding up to a 78 aircraft fleet. As of June 2016, the company took delivery of two additional A330s, thus increasing its fleet to 80 aircraft in total. Within the vast restructure program currently going across the company as the outcome of its privatization process, TAP has announced its Network restructure, its medium and long haul fleet renewal program as of 2017 and the retrofit of the fleet currently in operation as well as the launch of the new branded product TAP Express, which replaces PGA and operates a new fleet of 8 ATR 72 and 9 Embraer 190. In the pursuit of its customer-focused policy, TAP continuously invests to deliver safe, reliable and upgraded products & services, tailored to meet customers’ expectations. Retaining the Portuguese character of the Company’s brand and quality service as the basic concept has been the main driver of TAP strategy in most recent years. Recognized and awarded as the Europe’s Leading Airline to Africa as well as Europe’s Leading Airline to South America by the World Travel Awards in 2015 and 2014, the company was also awarded as the WTA World’s Leading Airline to Africa in 2011 and 2012 and the WTA World’s Leading Airline to South America in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Voted Best Airline in Europe in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and again in 2016 by the Global Traveler, USA, the company was also honored by UNESCO and by the International Union of Geological Sciences with the IYPE “Planet Earth Award 2010”, in the category of “Most Innovative Sustainable Product”. TAP was also voted Best Airline by Condé Nast Traveller Magazine in 2010, Best Portuguese Tourism Company by the specialized magazine Marketeer, in 2011 and also the airline with Best Reputation by the Reputation Institute in 2014, while its Inflight Magazine UP was voted Best European Inflight Magazine by the WTA awards in 2015.

For further informationplease go to www.flytap.com.

Media contact:
Gareth Edmondson-Jones
GEJ, Ink
917 399-9355 
GEJink@gmail.com

TAP Portugal Now Features Michelin Stars Onboard