THE BRIEF
I haven’t been on a COPA AIR flight in a long time. I was looking forward to seeing if things have improved over the years. My chance came up recently when I needed to travel to Panama City. The only direct flight from Toronto was with Copa on their 737-800. The 737 pictured above was painted in the original colours used back in the eighties. The airline was founded back in 1947. They have a fleet of the MAX version of this aircraft also. As my long-time readers know, I will not fly on this aircraft with any airline (see my investigative report in the MAX link).
My trip actually started in the Air Canada lounge in T2 at Pearson Internation in YYZ since Copa is a member of Star Alliance but I wasn’t there long since Priority Boarding started early at the gate. This was handled very well by the agents and after stowing my bags in the overhead of seat 1B I had a chance to stop by the cockpit and chat with fellow pilots. They were all set for an on-time departure.
The seats are in the standard business class configuration for Boeing 737s. Two abreast with a 38in. pitch, 21in. width, power outlets and partial recline capability. They are outdated but I found them comfortable with adequate legroom for the 5-hour and 30-minute flight.
Service was good as they helped with my bags and stowed my jacket and garment bag. That fell apart a bit once airborne as the drink I ordered pre-taxi never arrived so I had to call finally after an hour or so to check on that.
I ordered a delightful cab from Chile. The Serie Riberas Gran Reserva is a deep red with a nose of cherry, cedar, and blackberry. It’s silky smooth with soft tannins and offers a long finish. The wine is aged 12 months in French Oak and that shows up on the palate along with plum, black cherry, and vanilla. It pairs well with beef, pork, or the chicken I was about to have.
Lunch was a simple fare of garden salad and chicken pasta which was tasty and filling. For dessert, there was a lovely blueberry pistachio tart and later in the flight, they served a snack tray of nuts and pretzels.
THE DEBRIEF
Copa was a fresh breath of Latin air. They deliver good service and on-time performance all at a reasonable price. If you’ve been in the friendly skies lately you know this is not to be found everywhere in the airline industry. The fleet is getting a bit tired and old. Unfortunately, they have chosen to upgrade using the MAX aircraft from Boeing. It’s getting harder and harder to fly in the Americas without running into this plane on the schedule and even yours truly has been forced to use it just to get from A to B. Copa is a great option, especially if you’re looking to fly in Central or Latin America.
