Liliana Vieira, TAP’s new DSM for Canada
William Delgado, manager of the Portuguese National Tourist Office in Toronto
Luis Barros, consul general of Portugal in Toronto
It’s always nice to see a new carrier come to Canada – and maybe even nicer to see a carrier which has been absent for a long time decide to return.
It’s been 23 years since TAP, the flag carrier of Portugal, has served Canada, but service is returning on 10JUN (the Portuguese national holiday) with flights between Lisbon and Toronto.
Positioned as a way to “Discover Portugal on the Way,” the new service will operate 5X-weekly in season, daily except Tuesday and Thursday and 3X- weekly in the off-season on board the carrier’s A330s featuring economy, economy plus and business classes. TAP is in the process of upgrading all of its A330s, scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
A member of Star Alliance, TAP also announced last week that it is working with five Michelin-starred chefs on its new Taste the Stars program, designed to bring the flavours of Portugal to the aircraft.
To help promote the “new” route, the carrier has appointed a DSM for Canada: Liliana Vieira (lvieira@tap.pt). Vieira brings with her a background with Transat, LAN and Hainan Airlines and says the airline is not just targeting business to Portugal but to the carrier’s extensive network in Europe (52 cities) and Africa (15 cities). Worth noting is the free stopover for up to three days in Lisbon, a great way to get a taste of the city’s countless charms.
“We are celebrating not just our network but our potential markets in the business, incentive and leisure markets,” Vieira said. She looks forward to working with retailers, tour operators, the student market, long-stays and consolidators.
See more at www.flytap.com.
