We first wrote about Copa Airlines back in 2008, when I first flew down to Panama for the MV Discovery Panama Yacht Cruise. I’ve since been back multiple times and flew on Copa to there and also onward to Peru. While the airline won’t blow you away like the experience of Emirates or Singapore Air might, when you compare it to your other options for getting down to countries in Latin America, Copa definitely scores above the average.

Copa Airlines review

For much of Latin America, this airline is your best choice, especially if you can’t buy a business class ticket or score an upgrade on one of its competitors. Compared to any U.S. airline flying to Latin America, Copa offers a far better experience in economy, plus you can earn Star Alliance partner miles for your trip. (That alliance includes United Airlines in the USA and Air Canada as well.)

While Avianca went into bankruptcy during the pandemic times, with a corresponding decline in service, and two Mexican airlines disappeared completely, Copa has actually been in expansion mode recently. They ordered 15 Boeing 737 MAX planes in 2023 and expanded their route network to include Baltimore, Austin, and Manta, Ecuador on the coast. In 2022 their earnings were higher than they were in 2019.

Copa Airlines at the Crossroads of the Americas

One of the big advantages of flying on Copa is that they’re located in Panama City at Tocumen International Airport, an easy flight in itself but also a good place to stretch your legs on the way to South America. No matter where you’re coming from and going to in South America, Panama City isn’t very far out of the way. If you’re going somewhere in Central America, there’s not much backtracking involved.

If you want to do more than stretch your legs, Copa Airlines offers a stopover program, the only formal one I know of that’s running in Latin America. It’s not one with any major perks thrown in, but you can book a flight from A to B that allows you to get off the plane in Panama City, do some tourist things or take care of business, then get on the plane without incurring extra costs. You can book all this ahead of time on their regular page or this dedicated one just for stopovers. You can stay for 24 hours or up to 7 days before continuing onward.

As you can see from the Copa route map below, this is a really convenient stopover on the way to their other destinations south of there. You could take a break in Panama and then continue on to Colombia (11 locations!), Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, or Argentina. Copa is one of the few airlines that goes to Uruguay and Paraguay as well. The Panama City luxury hotels are a great value, so follow that link and see which one looks like the best match.

Copa Air route map

What to Expect on a Copa Air Flight

I have flown Copa Air several times in both business class and economy class and if you’ve been on United Airlines flights, the experience is going to feel familiar. At one point, Continental Airlines owned more than half of Copa but over the years through various changes and mergers, that holding dropped to 10% with United. Still, they have similar logos, similar cabin presentations, and are both part of Star Alliance.

Economy class is a step above what you usually get on a United international flight these days though. On long-haul flights, they serve full meals and complimentary drinks, including alcoholic beverages. Shorter flights may just serve snacks, especially the routes using the 19 small Embraer planes, but will still bring through a round of drinks. Newer planes have seatback entertainment and limited TV and music options. The 737-800 planes will usually have charging plugs as well.

Yes, you get real food with your flight. In every case there was a choice of two dishes (such as pancakes or an omelette for breakfast) and I saw other passengers getting their kosher or vegetarian meal. Pillows and blankets are provided and there is an in-flight magazine in English and Spanish.

In economy class, seat pitch is average at 31 inches and most seats are 17 inches wide. There’s also an Economy Extra level that provides some separation and a location near the front, but not more legroom according to SeatGuru.

Business Class is a mixed bag, so check to see what you’re getting before paying to upgrade. On some flights the Copa business class seats only have a pitch of 38 inches and they’re just three inches wider than an economy seat. On some short flights the seats may not be wider at all. Other layouts provide 49 inches, however, which allows you to stretch out a lot more for an overnight flight. In all cases they’re leather and you’ll get an amenity kit of some kind.

The newest Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft versions are most worth the upgrade to business class. Copa calls these “Dreams” and they actually recline to a fully-flat bed, with 16 or 12 of them configured. They come with power outlets and a 16-inch in-flight entertainment screen.

copa airlines review - business class

Otherwise, business class won’t wow you with entertainment amenities, especially since the older jets have these little pop-up screens for each seat that come out of the armrest, but the service and food were both excellent in my experiences. You usually only have 5 to 15 other people competing for the flight attendant’s attention and they’ll serve you a multiple course meal (or two) with real silverware and plenty to drink. You can even try some Panamanian rum on the way down.

Copa Flight Deals From North America

Copa flies from multiple cities in Canada, the USA, and Mexico, so you need to have them on your list if you’re anywhere near those destinations. I have flown them from Florida and Mexico City. Here’s a look at some of the economy class promotional fares they’re advertising as I write this:

Orlando to Panama – $529

Miami to Panama – $390

DC to Lima – $397

Toronto to Lima – $616

NYC to Guayaquil, Ecuador – $293

Austin to Buenos Aires – $498

But what about business class? Can you find a good value on those? Well I did some spot checks on Copa’s site and found a few enticing offers:

Miami to Santiago, Chile – $1,524

Montreal to Panama City – $1,543

Mexico City to Buenos Aires – $2,449

These are non-refundable at that price, but a great deal if your plans are solid considering that two of the three are not even double the cost of an economy seat at the same time. Don’t forget: if you have a business class ticket you can check two bags if you want and you also get access to the nice Copa Club lounge in Panama City, complete with showers even.

Copa Club lounge

Another reason to get that biz class Copa ticket is you check in at the airport in a much shorter line, which brings us to the complaint you hear the most from other travelers: the generally lousy check-in or bag drop experience.

The main drawback to Copa is the consistently long lines to check in. Get to the airport plenty early if you’re in economy class. This is not unique to them of course, but I heard two frequent travelers grumble that the name should be “Cola Airlines,” the joke being that “cola” is a word for tail or line in Spanish. If you’ve got high enough elite status on a Star Alliance partner or a ticket in the front of the plane, you can jump this line and save a huge amount of time. Checking in online beforehand can help in some airports as that puts you in a different line that may be shorter. Or just travel with a carry-on.

The actual check-in process has always been simple and friendly for all of my flight legs, however, and my checked baggage arrived intact on the other end. The gate agents are refreshingly helpful compared to their legacy U.S. airline counterparts. The website works well and has some nice flexible date functions. Use that first and then go to the United site to book if you want to cash in miles or be positive you’ll get the proper credit promptly.

The flight attendants on my flights have been friendly, bi-lingual, and attentive. They smiled, they communicated, and they seemed to genuinely want their customers to fly with them another time. Again, a refreshing change from the norm these days.

The Panama City airport is getting steadily better all the time, with more food options finally joining the seemingly unending stream of duty-free shops and a new terminal looking flashy. It’s brighter, cleaner, and more modern each time I visit.

Overall, Copa Airlines is a solid, reliable airline that generally offers better service for a better price than its competitors. Often you can find reasonably priced business class tickets for half what the U.S. big 3 are charging.

So, when we have a choice, we’re booking on Copa Airlines, especially if flying from one of the many U.S. markets they are serving now. We like the overall experience, the financial stability, and the fact that we can earn points that go into the same account as from our United flights. Check your options here.

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