Panama Forum

panamajames
Joined 2012
Posts: 5096

9 years ago

Copa Airline News and some History

9 years ago

Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A known in Panama as Copa Airlines is headquartered in Panama City, Republic of Panama with its main hub at Tocumen International Airport.
Copa was founded in 1947 as the national airline of Panama and it began domestic operations to three cities in Panama shortly afterwards. The airline then abandoned its domestic flights in 1980, in favor of international flights.
In 1998, Copa formed a strategic partnership with Continental Airlines, adopting a new brand image and the OnePass frequent flyer program, which was later replaced by MileagePlus, which will be replaced again by ConnectMiles in July 2015. Any future plans are considered “possibilities”, but most likely.
The most recent addition to the U.S. direct flight list is New Orleans. Other recent direct flight additions include Denver, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Boston. And of course, we are very excited about the addition of Copa flights to the city of David in Panama. Flights to David include a change of planes at the same airport (Tocumen) in Panama City. While many of these destinations have direct flights to Panama City, some of those listed include stops on the way.
Here is a recent Toronto trip I took, all with Jubilado discounts. Air Panama from David to Albrook in Panama City, taxi or bus to Tocumen, and then a flight to Toronto on Copa. Total cost, close to $1100. I booked one yesterday with Copa from David direct to Toronto (with a stop in Panama City) and total price was $730. It is over a $300 saving now that Copa is providing competition to Air Panama. Air Panama’s prices have dropped as well, as a result of competition. So if you are coming to Chiriqui Province, you can most likely save a fair chunk of money by booking Copa direct to David. You will still stop in Panama City and as of late, switch to a smaller plane. .
Boeing Co. just secured an order to sell sixty one (some news reports are saying only fifty six) of the 737 single-aisle jetliners to Panama’s Copa Airlines in a deal valued at $6.6 billion (and that price has been quoted differently as well), the largest commercial transaction between companies from the two nations.
US President Barack Obama attended a political summit in the Central American nation of Panama recently and it was announced. Latin America is a really important region for Boeing. Obama is seeking to reassert U.S. influence in Latin America and restore goodwill with many of the 35 nations represented at the summit.
Obama and Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela stood behind executives from Boeing, Copa and General Electric Co.’s aerospace unit as the order was signed. The announcement was made as both Boeing and Obama look to Latin America to boost their fortunes.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 planes will help Copa upgrade its existing fleet of older 737 models, the airline said in a statement. For Boeing, the transaction would more than double the sales of 737 Max planes so far this year. The Max 8, the most popular of three versions of the new plane, has a catalog price of $106.9 million, according to Boeing’s website.
Copa has long been a staunch Boeing customer. The carrier’s current fleet of 98 aircraft includes 72 Boeing 737 jets of various models, according to the carrier’s website. The remaining planes in Copa’s fleets are mid-size E190 jets made by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. The 737 MAX is a “next generation” update to Boeing’s best-selling model. The aircraft, scheduled to debut in 2017, includes newer fuel-efficient engines as well as other design updates.
Copa has been on a growth spurt in recent years, capitalizing on the strategic position of its Panama City hub to expand both within Latin America and on routes to the United States. The airline bills its Panama City base as the “Hub of the Americas.”

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