Azores Airlines / SATA

Mike K. · Post by **Mike K.** » Sat Feb 15, 2020 6:59 am

Does anyone have feedback on Azores Airlines?

I’m considering them for a flight from the U.S. to Madeira this spring.

They are significantly cheaper than TAP, a stopover in the Azores might be fun, and I bet the customs lines are shorter than Lisbon.

However, the online reviews seem quite bad. Many complaints about old aircraft and mechanical delays. Also a lot of complaints about extreme delays and cancellations.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

Moses Botbol · Post by **Moses Botbol** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:52 am

Both airlines are very popular and friends like what they offer for the price. Most going to the Azores aren't looking for a top dollar airline to get there. They're visiting family and any savings is appreciated...

Mike K. · Post by **Mike K.** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:03 pm

Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2020 8:52 am Both airlines are very popular and friends like what they offer for the price. Most going to the Azores aren't looking for a top dollar airline to get there. They're visiting family and any savings is appreciated...

I totally agree Moses. I don't overly care about how fancy it is, I just want to get there in reasonable comfort and somewhat on time. A lot of the bad reviews are about things I couldn't care less about. And I can fly business class on Azores cheaper than economy on TAP. Very attractive indeed.

What gave me pause were multiple reviews about canceled flights, including SATA canceling all flights out of Boston for days at a time. If I'm going to visit family, no problem, reschedule for next week. But if you have a tour booked at your destination, that's a disaster.

So just trying to get a feel from any folks that have first hand knowledge with them - perhaps these problems cleared up when they replaced their long-haul aircraft a couple years back.

Moses Botbol · Post by **Moses Botbol** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 8:13 am

Outside of MA and RI, I don't think there are many people using this airline from other US locales. There are more people from the Azores in MA than there are in the Azores!

Mike K. · Post by **Mike K.** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:14 pm

Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2020 8:13 am Outside of MA and RI, I don't think there are many people using this airline from other US locales. There are more people from the Azores in MA than there are in the Azores!

Fair point if the Azores are your destination. It looks like SATA is also positioning themselves as a low cost gateway into Europe with a stop in Ponta Delgada. Lots of folks continuing onto mainland Europe.

With the current inexplicable pricing on TAP (who I've always enjoyed) I maybe trying out SATA.

David Spriggs · Post by **David Spriggs** » Thu Feb 20, 2020 8:29 pm

I took SATA to Punta Delgada and then on to Madeira. A wonderful trip EXCEPT for the pitch on the seats to Punta Delgada. Really tight. I didn't fit at all in that seat and my knee was ground into a steel piece on the seat. Ouch! I'd take the flight again, but with a better seat next time.

Mike K. · Post by **Mike K.** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 5:18 am

David Spriggs wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2020 8:29 pm I took SATA to Punta Delgada and then on to Madeira. A wonderful trip EXCEPT for the pitch on the seats to Punta Delgada. Really tight. I didn't fit at all in that seat and my knee was ground into a steel piece on the seat. Ouch! I'd take the flight again, but with a better seat next time.

Thanks for the review. Their business class (from Boston at least) is not that much more than economy - one of these days I'll try them out but definitely in business class.

Alan McDonald · Post by **Alan McDonald** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:31 pm

Have you considered flying to Lisbon and then back to the Azores? I have done extensive searches recently because we accepted an offer for our quinta and began to line up a visit to Pico (our first choice of island to which to retire) to view properties. Earlier this week the buyer pulled out (he is in New Zealand) 3 weeks after the offer was accepted.

The SATA site has always been extremely bad to navigate and I ended up being willing to pay extra for booking through TAP, which just takes seats on the SATA flights, as the only way to be able to see what was available on different dates.

The weather can seriously disrupt flying schedules. It is always windy in the middle of the Atlantic.

Mike K. · Post by **Mike K.** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:43 pm

Alan McDonald wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 2:31 pm Have you considered flying to Lisbon and then back to the Azores? I have done extensive searches recently because we accepted an offer for our quinta and began to line up a visit to Pico (our first choice of island to which to retire) to view properties. Earlier this week the buyer pulled out (he is in New Zealand) 3 weeks after the offer was accepted.

The SATA site has always been extremely bad to navigate and I ended up being willing to pay extra for booking through TAP, which just takes seats on the SATA flights, as the only way to be able to see what was available on different dates.

The weather can seriously disrupt flying schedules. It is always windy in the middle of the Atlantic.

Thanks for the feedback Alan. Sorry to hear the deal on your property fell through. That is frustrating.

For this trip, I am headed to Madeira and SATA is certainly a lower cost (and shorter flight) than going through Lisbon with TAP. In the end I chose TAP due to the specific requirements of this trip. (Hope it still happens). I am hoping to visit the Azores one of these days and SATA will definitely be the way to go from Boston. Seems like the weather and being a small airline can cause flight interruptions, so would need to be a flexible trip.

Alan McDonald · Post by **Alan McDonald** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 3:11 pm

OK. Understand. I have just posted a response on the "Retiring to Portugal" thread.

For The Love Of Port