After participating in Tianguis Turistico, Mexico‘s annual tourism convention, I flew Copa Airlines from Cancun to Panama City, for a connection to another flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Here’s a review of my travel experience.
THE ROUTE: Cancun, Mexico to Panama City – Tocumen International Airport, Boeing 737-800, economy class (2 hours)
••••••
DON’T MISS: How to Get the Most from Latin America’s Low-cost Airlines
••••••
THE AIRPORT: I used Copa Airlines’ Web check-in to print my boarding pass the night before at Secrets The Vine, the fabulous hotel where I was staying. As a result (and since I had no luggage to check), I was able to skip the check-in line at the Cancun airport and head straight to security. Since it was early in the morning, there was no line for screening and I breezed through quickly at Terminal 2. The terminal is laid out so that travelers headed to older gates must stroll through the recently expanded duty-free shopping area, which has enough to keep any shopper happy. Food vendors in the gate area include Johnny Rockets, California Pizza Kitchen and Bubba Gumps.
THE AIRCRAFT: The Copa Airlines Boeing 737-800 had the Boeing Sky interior, which provides more pleasing lighting than most cabins. Here’s what else I found on board in economy class:
Pillows and blankets on seats? No
Airline seating: Economy-class airline seats had headrests with wings.
Free airline food? Yes. Breakfast featured a choice of waffles or eggs.
In-flight entertainment: Flight attendants distributed free earphones before takeoff, and overhead screens featured short-subject TV programming.
THE ARRIVAL: I arrived at the new north pier at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport, which is still under construction so some of the moving sidewalks were not functional. I had just enough time to walk to my connecting gate in the older part of the terminal.
MORE LATIN AMERICA AIR TRAVEL TIPS:
• Read more airline service reviews in LatinFlyer’s Airline Review section
• Comparing In-Flight WiFi Costs
• Getting the Most from Latin America’s Low-cost Airlines