Travelers in Northern California are about to get a nonstop flight to the Azores, a lesser-visited Portuguese island paradise. This offbeat routing is one of a trio of seasonal routes that TAP Air Portugal is launching for the summer of 2025, which will also include flights from its newest U.S. gateway, Los Angeles.
The Azores, a rocky archipelago in the Atlantic some 850 miles off the coast of Portugal, has gained traction among travelers in recent years for its unspoiled beauty, eco-friendly hotels, fine wines, and farm-to-table cuisine.
It already has some nonstop service from the United States, mainly from East Coast gateways like New York and Boston. But this will be the first time TAP Air Portugal is offering a direct flight from the West Coast to the Azores.
From June 3 through August 26, 2025, the new flight will operate once a week—every Tuesday—from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Terceira’s Lajes Airport (TER) as a stop on a flight that will continue to Lisbon. On other days of the week (with frequencies varying by season), TAP flies nonstop between SFO and Lisbon year-round.
The Azores island of Terceira is known for its extensive network of lava caves that travelers can explore, natural ocean pools, and its main port town, Angra do Heroísmo, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its critical role in maritime history. Most other flights to the Azores land at the main international airport in Ponta Delgado, on the island of São Miguel. And while tourism will drive some of the demand, the new route will also serve a sizable Azorean community in Northern California, a TAP official told Afar.
Two additional new routes from TAP Air Portugal
TAP also announced two additional new summer 2025 routes: a new nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Lisbon and a new nonstop from Boston to Porto. On both routes, TAP will be the only carrier offering nonstop service.
At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which TAP served briefly in 1989–1990, the carrier will start with three flights a week on May 16, 2025, increasing to four times weekly by May 25. Introductory fares—available from now until December 17—start at $679 round trip to Portugal and from $599 to other points in Europe. The seasonal L.A. service will end on October 25, 2025.
Flights will be aboard a wide-body Airbus A330-900 neo. The planes have 34 business-class seats and 96 “comfort seats” with more legroom that standard coach seats—a welcome feature on a flight that will last nearly 13 hours (westbound). The same plane already operates on existing San Francisco flights.
The Portuguese carrier will start nonstop flights from Boston to Porto, northern Portugal’s gateway to the Douro Valley wine region, with four flights a week on May 14, 2025, also through October 25. Flights will be aboard narrow-body Airbus A321 LRs. Introductory fares start at $529 round trip, if purchased by December 17, 2024.
TAP currently flies from seven U.S. gateways: New York, Newark, Boston, Miami, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Chicago. And the airline is also known for its generous stopover program that allows travelers to spend time in Lisbon and Porto at a steal, before continuing on to destinations throughout Europe and beyond.
https://www.afar.com/authors/barbara-peterson
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