Trip Report: Copa Airlines - New Orleans to San Jose via Panama (October 2017)

Trip Report: Copa Airlines 
New Orleans to San Jose via Panama

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I have flown Copa Airlines before, once in 2010 and then again in 2014; however, the airline recently started direct international service from New Orleans to Panama.  As a way to support the service from my hometown, as well as try Copa's product again, I booked Copa from New Orleans (MSY) to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) via Panama (PTY).  The service started in 2015 and runs 4 times a week.  The flight departs Panama at 6:30p and arrive into New Orleans at 10:30p with the return flight departing the next morning at 6:00a and arriving into Panama at 9:30a.  The flight is timed to maximize connections in Panama for onward travel.

Copa Airlines is based in Panama and has a fleet of Embraer as well as Boeing 737- 700

and 800's.  The flight time from New Orleans to Panama is 3hrs while the return is 3hrs and 30min.  When the flight for commenced, Copa was using their Boeing 737-700 for the flight but the flight has been downgraded to the Embraer 190.  My previous experience with Copa was mixed - nice amenities but inconsistent.  I also flew Copa when they were going from a transition, and have now identified who they are and what product they want to serve. 

Copa is full-service airline that provides complimentary meals on all flights, free 2-pieces of checked luggage, free seat assignment, and is a member of Star Alliance.  The only thing Copa does not offer is in flight entertainment - this is changing as their Boeing 737-800s now have seatback PTVs, but these are only being operated on long-haul flights.  You can book flights on Copa's website and you can also call the call center to book a flight.  It is not easy to manage your booking on the website, but you can select a seat and request special meals by calling.  Copa does have an app which I only found useful to store my information and access mobile boarding passes.  24-hours prior to departure, I was able to check-in and obtain my boarding pass.  You can change your seat assignment when you check-in, but you can only do this if you are using a laptop/desktop - you cannot modify your seats at check-in through the app.  

I had checked-in online, received my mobile boarding pass, and went to the airport to drop off my luggage.  The check-in line was very long, but the Copa representatives were very good and quick in assisting all passengers.  A Copa representative came through and asked those passengers who had checked-in online to bypass the line and be served first - this made check-in got a lot faster.  I received my luggage tag, went through security, and waited to board.  Copa likes to start boarding their planes about 1 hour in advance - for each of my flights the boarding started one hour prior to the flight.  We boarded by group numbers, and even though all passengers were on board, the plane door did not close until the posted boarding time (so I am not sure why the plane is boarded so early).  Boarding was done by group numbers and was quick and efficient.

The operating aircraft was an Embraer 190 with a 2-2 seat configuration.  The seat pitch was very good with lots of legroom, even in standard economy.  The seats were generally comfortable as well.  There were no PTVs either behind the seat nor any drop down screens; and Copa does not offer neither complimentary wifi nor any entertainment.  Boarding happened quickly, and though we were all seated, the boarding doors did not close until the stated departure time.  Manual safety demonstrations were done, and then it was a quick taxi to takeoff.  The flight was about 90% full, and even on the return the flight was about 90% full.  About 20 minutes after we reached cruising altitude, the attendants came down the alley with the service carts.  

Complimentary drinks, juice, tea, and coffee were served along with a complimentary meal.  Although not a huge size, the meal was decent enough to fill you up and contained a salad, bread, dressing, dessert, and the main meal.  Breakfast is served on the outbound while dinner is served on the return.  You could order as many drinks as you wanted, but the serving size was small.  The only negative of the service was that for the 3hr+ flight, this was the only time drinks were served.  It would've been better had copy come around with drinks again or even just with water.  Once the meal and drinks had been served, and meal trays cleared, the flight was uneventful.  It is left up to the passenger to pass the time as they see fit.

We landed in Panama early, all of our flights seemed to land early, but it took a while to taxi to the gate and wait for an open gate (this seemed to happen a lot in Panama - Copa's growth seems to have outpaced the capacity of Tocumen).  I originally had about 1.5 hour layover, but given the delay in taxing and the given how early Copa likes to board, I went directly to my gate (even though Tocumen is not that big and you can access food really easily).  My next flight was to San Jose, Costa Rica and this was operated by a new Boeing 737-700 with mood lighting and PTV's on each seat.  The PTVs had a decent selection of movies and TV shows, not great but decent enough to keep you occupied for at least 3-4 hours.  The flight time to San Jose was only 1hour, so due to the short duration the meal and drinks service commenced as soon as we reached cruising altitude.  On the return flight, the service was the same but the operating aircraft was different - this time it was an Embraer 190.

Overall, Copa is a decent airline.  They provide discount tickets which includes a complimentary meal, two free checked bags, free seat selection, a nice seat, and a comfortable experience.  They are not into a lot of frills and extra amenities, but have consistently provided a good service at low prices.