Chicken, Pasta, or Octopus? How Traditional Should a National Airline Be?
Photo Caption: The Local Stars project is one of TAP's recent initiatives to boost 'Portugality'. TAP Air Portugal
Skift Take
In an increasingly competitive market, airlines are looking closer to home to help stand out on the international stage.
Serving a country of just over 10 million people, TAP Air Portugal has had to look beyond its shores to build scale. It's a strategy that's worked. Today, just 20% of TAP passengers are Portuguese.
However, when only one in five passengers is from Portugal, how Portuguese can you - should you - be?
It’s a question on the mind of Catarina Índio, TAP’s Head of Onboard and Ground Product. She joined the flag carrier last year and is on a mission to improve passenger experience at all levels.
Speaking to Skift on the fringes of Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, Índio uses one word time and again: Portugality.
Walk the corridors of TAP headquarters and it’s a term you’ll hear frequently. Put simply, the goal is to reflect Portuguese culture, cuisine, and products as part of the journey.
What can initially feel like a fluffy marketing concept is rooted in sharp business acumen. Being distinctive is a competitive ad
