In the 1970s, TAP began offering significant discounts for university students, making air travel more accessible, particularly between mainland Portugal and the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores.
At that time, flying was a luxury for most Portuguese, with a round-trip ticket between Lisbon and Funchal costing between 3,000 and 4,000 escudos. The student discount, which could reach 50-60%, reduced the cost to approximately 1,500 to 2,000 escudos, enabling students to return home for holidays.
To benefit from these discounts, students needed to present an official enrollment declaration at TAP. The process involved filling out a form, getting it stamped by the faculty secretariat, and then purchasing the ticket at the reduced student fare. Some universities reportedly charged a fee for issuing the stamp.
