(Flight experiences as described by Itzel Guillen)

Nope, we haven’t forgotten about airline reviews here in Velozia Air and while these are spread about quite a bit, be assured they will keep coming.  The following review for Copa Airlines will be followed soon by some for US Airways, United, Delta, and American Airlines (the final one which promises to be rather entertaining).

Copa (Compañía Panameña de Aviación or Panamanian Aviation Company in English) Airlines is a Panama based carrier which operates using Continental Airlines’ colors and operates throughout the Americas primarily from its hubs in Central America.  While a lot of people here in the US are not familiar with Copa Airlines, the carrier has been around for a while as it started operations in 1947 with help from Pan-American Airlines.  For those of you looking for a more in-depth history of the airline, you can go to the Wikipedia page on the airline HERE.  The airline operates Boeing 737s and Embraer 190s, both of which were tested on this review flight.

If you’re wondering why the airline operates under Continental’s colors, it has to do with the close partnership that the airlines share.  In 1998, Continental became a major shareholder of Copa Airlines and even grew to be a majority shareholder at one point.  While Continental eventually shed all its Copa stock, the airlines continue their close relationship, which includes sharing Continental’s frequent flier program OnePass.  In past reviews, we have given our opinion of each reviewed airline’s frequent flier program.  However, we were unable to review the OnePass program and that has been excluded from this review.  Any readers who have experience with the OnePass program (whether in Continental or Copa) are welcome to post their thoughts on it in the comments below.

For our previous reviews, we have always used the Orlando, Florida (MCO) to San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) route to test flights.  This changes for this Copa review, as the flight used was a roundtrip from MCO to Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA; ICAO: MNMG) in Managua, Nicaragua, with a short stop in Tocumen International Airport (PTY; ICAO: MPTO) in Panama City, Panama (Copa’s main hub of operations).  Please note that while this is Velozia’s first international flight review, both the reviewer and I are very familiar with the route and have flown this route in three other airlines.

While Copa’s reservation systems work just like any other airline and you can get a ticket through any regular online portal, including the airline’s own website, this is one of the few rare cases in which a regular, old-school travel agent was able to get us a fare much lower than those found online.  We saved $150 off the last-minute online fare and were able to purchase this ticket for $200 including taxes.  While we’re sure the travel agent pulled some strings to get such a low priced ticket, this underscores the importance of checking with travel agents once in a while as they may have access to special fares.  At its regular price, Copa is about average with other airlines, but it is very important to note that you will be getting a lot more service than you would flying on, say, American Airlines.

The great thing about flying to other countries is that, usually (but not always), a lot of the international airlines aren’t yet playing around with the excessive fee structures that just about every US carrier has (even though some waive this for international flights).  That means that for the price of the ticket, you’re getting your two pieces of luggage, your meal (a full one at that), your seat, and all those other things you came to expect as part of the ticket price.    Take this into account when buying a ticket, because you can find lower fares on Spirit, TACA, or American, but some of those tickets will come with heavy fees later (Spirit especially) or simply can’t match Copa’s in-flight experience.

“If there was any part of the flight experience which was lacking, it was Copa’s check-in process in Orlando.  It was ultra-SLOW!  You show up to your counter, after passing Southwest’s ultra-packed lines, and get all excited at the fact that there are maybe ten people waiting in front of you in line.  However, Southwest moves maybe 50 people in the time it takes Copa to deal with these 10.  It was as slow as any check-in process as I have ever experienced.  Still, it wasn’t the speed that bothered me, but rather the lady that was going down the line asking which piece of luggage was most important to you and tagging it with a “Priority Bag” sticker.  Just what the heck is that about?  When an airline tags a bag as more important than another one, it is something to worry about.  Are they saying the two bags will get some kind of different treatment?  Will one bag not make it to the destination?  Are they making it easier for luggage thieves at TSA or baggage handling to know which of my bags probably has the good stuff?  Whatever the reason, labeling one bag a priority item raised more doubts than it did to make me feel like I was getting some sort special treatment.  This was only done in Orlando.”

“The boarding process is no different than at other airlines and really there is nothing to mention about it.  It is standard issue and no better or worse than when flying any other carrier.  As far as the airplanes, both the Embraer 190s and the Boeing 737s were in excellent condition.  Copa’s average fleet age is just over four years, so planes are relatively new.  You’re not getting some of the more modern cabin configurations you see in JetBlue or Delta, but you do get a very well presented cabin.  Entertainment is by cabin monitors and an in-flight magazine (called Panorama) is available.  Movies are presented on the longer flights.”

“On-time performance for these flights was awesome.  The flights were either on-time or early.” A quick check of Copa’s on-time performance shows that Copa Airlines has an above average on-time record in the airline industry, often reaching the lower 90s in on-time percentage.  This may have something to do with the fact that Copa usually flies in airports with good weather patterns and that are not laden with excessive amounts of traffic.

“One of the things I really enjoyed with Copa was the in-flight meal.  While in the old-days people complained about the food in planes, just the mere presence of a full-meal on a plane these days is something to get excited about.  For the flight to Managua, passengers were given a choice of breakfasts: eggs or waffles.  On the return trip, the meal choices included a calzone.  Dessert is included.  This is a big factor in the flight review as most other carriers on this route no longer serve meals and some, such as American, have limited snack choices to a pretzel bag you may need a microscope to see.”

While Copa lacks the modern cabin layouts with seatback monitors that JetBlue and Delta have, I have to say they are a standout airline in just about every other respect (check-in process being the exception).  Primarily due to its excellent service, commitment to a great airline experience, and on-time performance, Copa Airlines scores a 45/50 in Velozia’s scoring system putting it above every other airline we have reviewed here.  Our reviewer recommends this airline for anyone heading to Central and South America (at least to places to which Copa flies.)

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