Azores Airlines operates flights between North America, Europe, and the Azores, a Portuguese island chain in the mid-Atlantic that’s been dubbed the “Hawaii of Europe”. What makes them interesting is their position as the primary carrier serving these islands, plus they’re an often-overlooked option for transatlantic travel with a stopover.
Don’t forget: flights from North America’s east coast to the Azores are only around 5 hours in length.
Why should you consider Azores Airlines?
The biggest draw here is the premium fares, which can offer great value for transatlantic travel. Azores operates new A321NEO and A321LR aircraft on many routes, with Comfort Class that’s more like domestic First in the US (no lie-flat seats). Given the flight times, that’s perfectly adequate.
Don’t expect lavish service, but you’ll get solid value. Its route network can also mean it’s an efficient way to travel, in some cases cutting out a connection versus traditional transit points in mainland Europe.
Azores Airlines vs SATA Azores
The first point of confusion for many is the sister airline SATA. Azores Airlines operates jet service to Europe and North America, while SATA Air Açores runs turboprop Dash 8 Q400 and Q200 flights between the islands and to Madeira.
As far as you’re concerned, they might as well be the same thing. Tickets will often include both airlines if you plan to hop around the islands, and they’re technically two airlines under one group.
Destinations
Ponta Delgada on São Miguel island serves as the main hub, with many flights routing through there. However, the nice thing about Azores Airlines is that they offer direct service to North America and Europe from other islands in the archipelago. You can fly Boston direct to Terceira island, for example.
Some unexpected cities
The route network includes some unexpected North American cities like Oakland. From the Azores, you’ll find daily flights to Lisbon (the Azores is part of Portugal) plus connections to various European cities. Keep in mind that some routes are only seasonal.
Skip the Azores altogether
On top of that, it’s also started serving Funchal in Madeira direct from New York and Toronto. (That’s another Portuguese Atlantic island that I’d highly recommend.) For mainland Portugal destinations like Porto, the airline connects through its Azores hub. And it also now flies to Praia in Cape Verde too, selling tickets from Boston to the African island nation.
Onboard experience
Azores Airlines effectively operates like a budget carrier but with more comfort and some added perks in its “Comfort Class” cabin on longer routes. If you don’t go in expecting luxury service, however, it tends to do the trick.
Transatlantic economy class
On newer aircraft serving transatlantic routes from North America, economy class offers reasonably comfortable seats with adjustable headrests with foldable flaps, decent padding, and good legroom. There’s no in-seat entertainment screen, but you can stream content to your own device (Wi-Fi is available for purchase on select aircraft).
Recently, economy flights to and from North America have moved to a buy-on-board meal service, so you’ll need to purchase food if you want it.
Tip: Azores will charge you for seat assignments in economy (fees vary by route and fare class, with US/Canada routes typically around €30 each way), though certain fare types like TOP, LIGHT, and PLUS include free seat selection. If you’re taller it’d be worthwhile paying a little extra for an exit row or bulkhead seat. That said, legroom is not terrible at all for people of average size, compared to other economy class offerings.
Transatlantic Comfort (business) class
If you think of Azores Airlines Comfort Class as a premium economy product, you’ll likely come away happy. Legroom is 40 inches and seats are laid out in a 2-by-2 configuration, which works well for the typical 5-hour flights. You’ll get a hot meal on international flights, complimentary drinks, and power outlets (USB and regular outlets available).
Flights under 3 hours
Many flights between the Azores and Europe are operated as an all-economy service, and these flights have recently moved to a buy-on-board meal service. You can now purchase food and drinks, including premium beverages.
This is important to consider if you’re continuing on to Europe with a connection in the Azores where your ticket is otherwise in Comfort Class. The second leg could be in an economy seat, plus you won’t have any of the priority boarding that came with your Comfort ticket on the first leg. The ticket prices do generally reflect this, but it’s good to manage expectations going in.
On inter-island flights meanwhile, service is limited. So although these flights are usually under an hour long, you may want to bring along some snacks or at least a bottle of water.
The fleet
Azores Airlines’ core fleet is made up of Airbus A320 family aircraft, though they also use ACMI leased aircraft like Boeing 737-800s as needed. That includes a mix of older A320 and newer A320NEO units being added to replace the older models, some of which have an all-economy layout while others have a small extra legroom “Comfort Class” section. These tend to serve the European mainland.
Then there are the A321NEO and A321LR (they are the same from a passenger perspective) that you’ll find on the longer, more premium routes, especially to North America including Boston, Toronto, and Montreal. These feature a dedicated Comfort Class cabin. The latter do occasionally serve European routes too. Look for the aircraft code: 32Q.
Tip: The one exception to this mix is certain North American routes to Terceira that Azores often runs during the summer. Because of range limitations, Plus Ultra operates these flights with an A330 wide-body, which offers a two-class configuration (Executive and Economy), so the onboard product will be different from the rest of the Azores offering.
Incredible transatlantic fares
If you’re heading to the Azores it’s a no-brainer to take Azores Airlines in many cases because they offer the vast majority of service to and from the islands. But the other reason to fly Azores Airlines is the frequently very compelling premium fares they offer between points in Europe and North America. If the price is right and you have a little extra time, this can be great value, especially if you stop for a night or two on the islands.
Fun fact: Did you know that some of the Azores are technically located in North America? That’s because the islands lie on the North American tectonic plate. So I reckon this is where you can find the shortest flight in the world between Europe and North America, technically, flying from Horta to Flores.
Navigating the fare types
Azores Airlines has six different fare types on offer (SIMPLE, BASIC, FLEX, and TOP in economy, plus LIGHT and PLUS in Comfort Class) and although they’ve color-coded them it can be pretty difficult to figure them out, especially if you’re on a longer itinerary that involves a mix of cabins and interline partners. On my last flight with them, there was a lot of confusion about which level of priority I could actually board with despite having purchased a business class ticket. In the end, the gate agent simply shrugged and let me through. So take a close look at this before you head to the airport, so that you know what you’re entitled to.
Loyalty program
SATA Imagine is the loyalty program of Azores Airlines and SATA, and unless you are traveling very often to the Azores or plan on moving there, I wouldn’t bother signing up. Attaining elite status with the program (Silversky or Goldsky tiers) will get you some added priority benefits like priority boarding, priority baggage delivery (Goldsky), and waitlist priority, plus bonus miles (20% for Silversky, 30% for Goldsky on eligible fares), but overall they are not too compelling. Better to credit your Azores Airlines flight to TAP Portugal’s program, which will have better usability on a much wider range of partners.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
