One reader explains why…

TAP passengers are still holding on to almost €204 million in vouchers for flights cancelled due to the pandemic.

The total has reduced from the initial €282.5 million handed out in 2020, and refers to accounts at the end of 2021 (so by today there could have been more of an uptake).

The bottom line however is that people holding them should look at the time limits. Vouchers initially handed out had a time limit of two years. Later they reduced in terms of validity – those conceded in 2021 running for only a year.

This news was ‘broken’ by Negocios online, giving no explanation as to why passengers were ostensibly holding onto such a fortune in travel vouchers.

Since uploading this story, a reader has explained why: “TAP makes it as complicated as possible to use them”, he tells us.

“We often went through the booking process just to be held up in the end due to ‘problems‘ with a credit card that works perfectly fine when making a booking with let’s say Ryanair.

“Also at least for a long time we were only allowed to use one voucher at a time, which made it impossible to really use up the vouchers. I assume that this was intentional.

“Our conclusion was that we will not use TAP again. Even if we have to accept a detour…”