The Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) has been rapidly expanding its options for direct international flights. In June 2024, Lufthansa began offering direct flights to Frankfurt, Germany, and COPA Airlines started direct flights to Panama City.
For the long 4th of July weekend, my wife and I decided to check out the new COPA Airlines flight to Panama City. This flight is slated as a 4.5-hour journey each way. We booked directly from the airline’s website and purchased standard economy tickets. These tickets included one checked bag per person, seat selection, and the ability to bid on upgrades. Basic economy round-trip tickets were under five hundred dollars each for our selected dates (July 3-7). Standard economy tickets cost us just under six hundred dollars each.
Purchasing Tickets on COPA Airlines
COPA Airlines allows standard economy ticket holders to bid on business class seats, which are equivalent to first class seats on domestic flights. I bid $165 per ticket and was able to upgrade to business class for our flight down. Although we are Star Alliance members, we are not COPA Airlines rewards members. Our tickets put us in boarding zone 2, allowing us to board fairly early. Our seats were wide and comfortable with a decent recline and a pop-out footrest that was marginally more comfortable.
The COPA Airlines Flight Experience
The flight departed close to on time, getting us airborne around 4:30 PM. Dinner was served around 6 PM. The options for business class included chicken and rice or a pasta dish. I ordered the chicken and rice, and my wife ordered the pasta. Neither of us was impressed with the food, which was clearly the worst part of the experience. The spicy nut mix served before the meal was the best part, followed by the dinner roll, which was good. The dessert was a brownie served in a raspberry puree. Not exceptional, but not bad either.
We arrived in Panama a few minutes early and were deplaning shortly thereafter. We were near the end of Terminal 1 when we arrived, but our bags were sent to Terminal 2. This required us to walk to Terminal 2 immigration. Those without checked bags could visit Terminal 1 immigration, which was closer to our gate. My watch indicated that the walk to Terminal 2 immigration was 0.5 miles, taking about fifteen minutes. We arrived at a nearly empty immigration line and waited less than two or three minutes before being called. Our photo and fingerprints were quickly obtained.
Clearing Immigration in Panama City
After clearing immigration, we quickly obtained our luggage, which had already been delivered to the carousel during our walk. With luggage in hand, we grabbed an Uber directly outside the arrival area to our hotel.
Meal and Entertainment photos
Below are some photos of our meal and the video screen which stows in the armrest for business class seats:
Our Return Trip on COPA Airlines
The return trip was a bit less perfect. I didn’t win my lower bid for business class, so we ended up seated mid-plane. This was actually good, as it gave us an opportunity to experience the regular economy class as well. The seats were comfortable, albeit narrow, as economy seats have become industry-wide. The plane is fairly new, so the condition and features of the plane reflect that, including a USB port and seatback entertainment.
Arriving at the airport was uneventful. The COPA Airlines app works well and was very efficient. We checked in before our flight and printed our luggage tag at a kiosk at the COPA Airlines check-in area. This allowed us to enter the bag drop queue, which was much faster than the regular queue. Our bag was checked within a few minutes, and we were off to security, where things went fairly quickly.
Return Boarding and Flight on COPA Airlines
For boarding, we were in Zone 6, which was probably midway through the boarding process. They ask everyone to arrive at the boarding gate about an hour early, as there is an additional security screening. This includes dumping liquids purchased in the airport (not COPA’s fault, but kind of silly), removing shoes, and going through an X-ray machine and magnetometer. Boarding started on time, and we were fully boarded as scheduled.
The meal on the return flight was actually pretty good. It was a light meal of fruit (papaya and pineapple) and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. I actually liked the sandwich. The meal was small but much tastier than the meal on our flight down. We arrived at the gate in Raleigh a few minutes early. However, we sat at the gate for more than twenty minutes before receiving word from the cockpit that we needed to be pushed back a bit. After another ten minutes (with no evidence of us actually being pushed back), the doors were opened, and we began filtering out.
Clearing Immigration in Raleigh
Immigration in Raleigh (again, not a COPA issue) was backed up, even though we appeared to be the only incoming flight. If Raleigh is going to continue expanding its offerings, immigration will need some beefing up. The kiosks at global entry were not working properly, causing an unnecessary delay even for global entry holders. There were only three immigration officers working, creating excessive delays at an airport where the process is usually quick. I would say we waited in the global entry line for 15-20 minutes. I can’t imagine what the wait was for the other two lines. But certainly much longer than that.
My Final Thoughts on COPA Airlines
All things considered, I would definitely fly COPA again. The plane was modern, the flight was convenient, the prices were reasonable, and the overall experience was good. They could use an upgrade on their meal service, and communication could have been better when we were stuck at the gate. But the experience was otherwise a good one.
If you are going to Panama City, check out my blog for things to do. We packed a lot into three days from visiting an indigenous tribe to making chocolate!
Overview of our three-day trip to Panama!