TAP Air Portugal missed connection compensation
Where all your flights were on a single booking, a delay that makes you miss a connection is measured at your final destination. If you arrive there 3 hours or more late, compensation is due — even if the first flight was only a little late. Flights bought on separate bookings are treated as separate journeys.
Which TAP Air Portugal flights are covered
TAP Air Portugal is registered in Portugal, so it counts as an EU carrier and its flights are covered in both directions.
- Departing an EU airport: covered by EU261.
- Departing a UK airport: covered by UK261.
- Arriving in the EU from outside Europe: covered by EU261, because TAP Air Portugal is an EU carrier.
- Arriving in the UK from outside Europe: covered by UK261, which also protects arrivals on EU carriers.
Worked examples on TAP Air Portugal routes
| Route | Distance | Rules | Per passenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon (LIS) → Porto (OPO) | 277 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Lisbon (LIS) → Paris (CDG) | 1,470 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Lisbon (LIS) → Barcelona (BCN) | 994 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Lisbon (LIS) → Rome (FCO) | 1,839 km | EU261 | €400 |
What TAP Air Portugal is likely to say — and the answer
“The first flight was only 40 minutes late” — irrelevant on a single booking; the delay is measured at the end.
“You booked the flights separately” — genuinely fatal if true. Check your booking reference.
“The connection was operated by our partner” — the operating carrier of the delayed flight is who you claim from.
“Minimum connection time” arguments — if they sold you the connection, they accepted it as viable.
Specific to TAP Air Portugal
The TAP case at the Court of Justice set the limits on knock-on delays: an extraordinary circumstance on an earlier flight only excuses a later one where the carrier proves a direct causal link and shows it could not re-organise. If TAP cites a problem on a previous rotation, that judgment is the answer.
Lisbon is a hub for Brazil and West Africa, so a large share of claims are in the €600 band.
Madeira and the Azores are part of Portugal and therefore intra-EU, so a Lisbon–Ponta Delgada flight is banded on the intra-EU rule.
Portugal allows three years, and ANAC is the enforcement body. Responses are frequently slow.
Time limit: TAP Air Portugal is based in Portugal, where claims run for 3 years from the date of the flight. How that works
Check it free, then send the letter yourself.
If your TAP Air Portugal missed connection appears eligible, the claim letter is £15 flat, with TAP Air Portugal’s likely objection answered in advance. You keep 100% of what they pay. If the airline rejects your claim on eligibility grounds, we refund the £15. Forward us their reply and we refund within five working days.
TAP Air Portugal missed connection: common questions
How much can I claim from TAP Air Portugal for a missed connection?
Between €250 and €600 (or £220 and £520 under UK261) per passenger, depending on distance. The worked examples on this page show the figure for some of TAP Air Portugal’s routes.
I missed my connection with TAP Air Portugal. Which flight do I claim for?
If all the flights were on one booking, you claim for the journey as a whole, measured at your final destination, from the airline that operated the delayed flight. The distance used is the full distance from your first departure airport to your final destination.
What reasons does TAP Air Portugal give for refusing missed connection claims?
The most common are: The first flight was only 40 minutes late; You booked the flights separately; The connection was operated by our partner; Minimum connection time arguments. Most of these do not hold up against the Regulation or the case law.
How long do I have to make a TAP Air Portugal missed connection claim?
Where TAP Air Portugal is based, the limit is 3 years. You can usually also claim in the country your flight departed from or arrived in, which may give you longer.
Other TAP Air Portugal claims
- TAP Air Portugal: delayCompensation is due when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time.
- TAP Air Portugal: cancellationCompensation is due unless you were told at least 14 days before departure, or were told later but re-routed on a flight that fell inside the timing windows set by Article 5(1)(c).
- TAP Air Portugal: denied boardingCompensation is due immediately when you are refused boarding against your will — most often because the flight was overbooked — provided you checked in on time with a confirmed reservation.
- TAP Air Portugal: missed connectionWhere all your flights were on a single booking, a delay that makes you miss a connection is measured at your final destination.