The author flew as a guest of Highgate Peru. All opinions are the author’s own, and neither Highgate Peru nor Copa Airlines had any input in any part of this review.
I’ve flown business class with Copa Airlines a few times. On a recent trip from Guatemala down to Peru, I flew in economy and found both flights very similar, including a connection in Panama.
Was flying Copa Airlines economy class from Guatemala to Peru the best flight of my life? Absolutely not. Was it the worst? Not even close.
Overall, Copa provided a very average experience. It neither amazed nor disappointed.
What’s it like flying in economy with Copa Airlines on regional, medium-distance flights? Here’s how my experience in early July 2026 unfolded.
Booking Copa Airlines
My Copa Airlines trip involved 2 flights: Guatemala City (GUA), Guatemala, to Panama City (PTY), Panama, and onward to Lima (LIM), Peru. The cash fare for this flight was $240 or 22,500 United MileagePlus miles plus $48.80 in taxes and fees.
Using those numbers, paying cash is the better option. Saving $191.20 (after accounting for taxes and fees) with 22,500 miles yields just 0.85 cents per mile. However, we value United miles at 1.2 cents each on average, so this flight would be a good time to pay cash and save the miles for later.
When paying for flights, my preferred card is the Platinum Card® from American Express, which earns 5x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 of these purchases annually, then 1x earnings).
Checking In
The staff at check-in made every effort to ensure the line moved slowly. The line in Guatemala City, where I started my trip, crawled, and employees routinely disappeared after helping a traveler, rather than immediately calling the next person forward. Even with 4 desk agents and fewer than 30 people in front of me, I spent over an hour waiting to drop off my suitcase. I had already checked in online and had my boarding pass.
Boarding
Boarding for both flights was done by groups, and staff enforced boarding groups strictly to ensure passengers boarded with their assigned group. Signs for boarding groups were easy to identify, and staff made multiple announcements to keep passengers informed.
Copa is a Star Alliance member, and I have United Premier Silver status — the lowest tier — but surprisingly, that gave me group 2 boarding on both flights. Unfortunately, the staff for both flights did something I hate: We started boarding before the cabin crew was ready to let us on the plane, so we stood around on the jet bridge for a while. Leaving us in the terminal (seated and with the air circulating) would be much better than starting boarding when we can’t enter the plane.
Seats and Cabin Layout
Both of my flights were on a Boeing 737-8, so the second felt very similar to the first, with a 3-3 layout and a single aisle in economy. The planes had ample overhead bin space, and seats had dark blue leather that looked clean even if it wasn’t something I’d call attractive.
My United Silver status allowed me to choose an extra legroom seat in Economy Extra at no charge. These were seats in the first few rows of the economy cabin, offering 34 inches of pitch (the space between rows). Passengers in Economy Extra had dedicated overhead bins above their seats.
I had a window seat on both flights. On the first, I sat in the first row of Economy Extra, immediately behind the divider wall from business class. On the second flight, I sat in the second row.
Space at my knees and feet was great on both flights, and the pocket in front of my seat easily held my laptop in addition to the safety information card and inflight magazine.
When sitting in the front row, my tray table came out of the armrest in a folded position. When unfolded, it was a good size, though it was covered in a sticky substance that gave me the creeps. Passengers in most rows had a tray table that folded down from the back of the seat in front of them. The tray table on my second flight was clean.
Amenities
The list of amenities on the flight was short, but a few were worth mentioning.
Seats had USB-A and USB-C charging points. These were found underneath the seats and worked well on both flights. There weren’t any entertainment screens for passengers. Instead, passengers could connect to an entertainment portal using their own devices to watch TV and movies.
There wasn’t Wi-Fi on either flight. Copa is new to the world of Wi-Fi, launching its first internet-enabled flight in the summer of 2026. The internet provider is Starlink, and Copa is the first carrier to charge for Starlink service.
There also weren’t any seatback screens for passengers, but customers could connect their own devices to an entertainment network. Content included TV shows, movies, games, and a flight tracker.
There were lavatories at the rear of the cabin. These were compact and standard.
Service
Service on both flights was very matter-of-fact. Things got done, but smiles weren’t involved.
Flight attendants on my first flight offered water and cookies to all passengers in economy. On the second flight, because it was over 3 1/2 hours, there was a hot meal service and a choice of drinks. Meal options were chicken with mashed potatoes or beef with rice.
Copa doesn’t allow for special meal requests for economy passengers and has numerous restrictions on special meals. However, business class passengers could request special meals on my PTY-LIM flight. That’s an extremely odd policy. Since I couldn’t get a vegan meal from Copa, I brought snacks for the flight.
Aside from the sticky tray table on my first flight, cabin cleaning was good, and the lavatories remained clean on both flights.
At disembarkation, flight attendants were near the door to say goodbye and thank passengers for flying with Copa. Otherwise, the crew focused on completing tasks rather than on friendly interaction.
Final Thoughts
My Copa Airlines flights from Guatemala to Panama and Panama to Peru weren’t special. The flights didn’t offer Wi-Fi, entertainment screens, or any smiles.
However, boarding groups were enforced, and I reached my destination safely and on time. There was a hot meal on the second flight, which was a pleasant surprise for a regional flight of this length — even if I didn’t eat it, I was surprised I couldn’t request a special meal.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to fly Copa, but I wouldn’t avoid it either. If the airline is flying where I’m going, you might find me on another Copa Airlines flight in the future.