Review of Copa Airlines flight Panamá City San Francisco in Business

Airline Copa Airlines
Flight CM 382
Class Business
Seat 1A
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 07:37
Take-off 03 Sep 17, 18:31
Arrival at 04 Sep 17, 00:08
CM   #9 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 77 reviews
jetsetpanda
By 1720
Published on 16th September 2017
Welcome to the last segment of this Costa Rica series.

My schedule:

SFO-SAL on AV in Y - click here
SAL-SJO on AV in J - click here.
SJO-PTY on CM in J - click here..
PTY-SFO on CM in J - you are here.


After my arrival from SJO I had a little over 1 hr for my connecting flight but decided to go straight to my gate instead of spending time at the Copa Club because as a U.S. destined flight I knew that there will be a secondary security screening right at the gate. It's a good thing that I arrived at the gate with plenty of time. As luck would have it, right before my turn to place my bags on the x-ray belt the machine temporarily broke down and the agent had to do a manual check of all bags resulting in a long back up. PTY can be a mess sometimes and the present terminal is just ugly. The new terminal would be such a huge improvement.

The gate area was crowded with people everywhere and hardly any empty seats. I stood by the counter and within minutes the gate agent started the boarding process. I made my way to the scanner and the gate agent wished me a pleasant trip. On my way to the plane I took the opportunity to snap some shots.

Gate area.
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My plane at the gate.
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Special livery next door.
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As I step inside the plane I am greeted by a FA and my neighbor is already settled on her throne. i refrained from taking any pics of the seat or the cabin since there were people everywhere and Ms. Provocative next to me was dressed in a way that her assets were highlighted if you know what I mean. God forbid if I take a pic of my seat or the cabin and she thinks that she is the object of attention. The thought of being escorted out of the plane just made me shudder. However i noticed that during boarding some male pax smiled at her and she just looked to the side without any acknowledgement. Human interaction can be fascinating!. Anyways leg room in the bulkhead was good and there was already an amenity kit in the seat pocket. Too bad that it is the same old style.

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Earphones that were collected before arrival. Is it worth the effort to collect this?

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Pre-dept. drinks were offered but I skipped that. Eventually the door closed and we taxied out to the runway.

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Bye PTY.

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As soon as we leveled off the dinner service commenced. There were no menus distributed on today's flight. I don't know if this was an exception or a new cost cutting measure, but it is always nice to have a description of your meals before being asked. The FA was efficient and courteous and with a smile advised me that the choices were fish with rice OR beef with vegetables. That was not very descriptive, was it? Maybe I should I asked to see the dishes. Then I will really be a "DYKWIA" (Do You Know Who I Am) obnoxious self entitled prick. Better not ignite the wrath of those who serve me. You never know if they will add an extra enhancement to your drink. :P I chose the fish and then he asked for either Cesar dressing OR vinaigrette on the salad. I like creamy dressings so I had the Cesar.

Hot towels.

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Drink with nuts to start service. I asked for tomato juice and a glass of water but the FA actually gave me Bloody Mary mix.

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On long haul dinner flights CM serves soup with salad before the meal. Too bad that the presentation is not the most "refined". The tomato theme continues with a tomato bisque. Looks like soup "à la BOOM".

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There was already a soft roll on the tray when the dish was delivered. How efficient! :P

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Main dish - That is one simple looking dish for J. Literally a piece of grilled fish with rice and some scattered vegetables as an afterthought. At least Nechus' fish in MVD looked better than this. For those who have missed it his FR is here. He's an excellent writer. ;)

So i closed my eyes with the first bite and pretended that I was savoring "poisson à la meunière". Imagination is a powerful tool.

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After that satisfying gastronomical feast (I had to crank up my imagination quite a bit) it was time to end it with a sweet note. From past experiences, I was expecting a sundae cart service on dinner flights in J. Apparently things have changed slightly. I was offered a choice between cake OR ice cream sundae on a tray. I took the cake and it consisted of a chocolate and cheesecake pair. Not bad but the portions were a bit stingy (small). I then called the FA and asked if there were any leftover ice creams. He said that he was not done with dessert service yet but will get back to me. Minutes later he brought me the ice cream and a selection of chocolate or caramel syrup in a container (à la McDonald's). I guess they no longer prepare the sundae with the sauces from a cart and top it with crushed peanuts.

Cakes.

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Ice cream sundae.

I ordered a cup of green tea to warm the spoon and use it on the ball of ice cream in case this was hard as a brick. Thankfully that was not the case. By the way, CM has green tea but AV does not. AV should take notes.

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A bottle of water was delivered a bit later after the conclusion of the meal service. The IFE had a few movies but it was a bit limited and nothing really caught my eyes. I settled for a period British film about love and inheritance.

About 2 hrs. before arrival the lights were turned on and the snack service was delivered. I thought this was a bit too early. I think it is far more preferable to ask discreetly to those who were awake if they wanted to partake in the snack.

Some pax were awaken for this?

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We landed 3 min. earlier in SFO and since I was feeling antisocial I decided to take a taxi to my place instead of Uber shared services. Uber would have been USD 10.20 and the taxi ended up being USD 21. In the future I would try to be "friendlier" after arriving from a flight.
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Verdict

Copa Airlines

7.5/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering7.0

Panamá City - PTY

7.6/10
Efficiency7.5
Access8.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness8.0

San Francisco - SFO

9.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

The flight was on time and sitting in a bulkhead window seat gave me more flexibility to get in and out without really disturbing my neighbor. Also I had my choice of meals assured being in the front.

I hope the lack of menu was a one off experience instead of a cost cutting drive. Catering on CM is not the best but I appreciate that they try to serve a meal and snack on North American flights. Also having a choice of dressings, main dish and dessert is a plus.

Related

6 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 413360 by
    Pilpintu TEAM 997 Comments
    Hola!

    Human interaction can be fascinating!.

    Yes, fascinating. That’s why I prefer cats!

    Looks like soup "à la BOOM".

    Qué horror!! “A la turbulence,” I’d say. XDDD

    Is it worth the effort to collect this?

    LOL. I have a shoebox with plastic cutlery from my flights!!!

    At least Nechus' fish in MVD looked better than this

    Oh my! This is even less glamorous than my brótola! :O

    his FR is here. He's an excellent writer

    Don’t listen to him, people!

    Some pax were awaken for this?

    If someone woke me up for that, they would see flying saucers in the cabin!

    Did your voluptuous neighbor have good conversation, at least? Or was she busy trying to keep the silicone in place during the whole flight? XDDD

    Thanks for the report! (And for the publicity!)
    • Comment 413365 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Hola Nelson.

      "That’s why I prefer cats!"
      - At least they are quieter than dogs. :P

      “A la turbulence,” I’d say. XDDD
      - Sometimes I wonder if crews are instructed to at least get a napkin and wipe the borders in case the soup is presented like this. Better yet, do not serve soup and offer a plated appetizer. But then again, that might increase catering costs and would not be as inexpensive as serving soup.

      "I have a shoebox with plastic cutlery from my flights!!!"
      - OMG, you are a true aviation geek! You won't believe the kind of airline memorabilia that I have. ;)

      "This is even less glamorous than my brótola! :O"
      - See? Everything in life is relative.

      "Don’t listen to him, people! "
      - Too late, I have an audience already. ;)

      "If someone woke me up for that, they would see flying saucers in the cabin!"
      - It could be so infuriating.

      "Or was she busy trying to keep the silicone in place during the whole flight? XDDD"
      - LOL. You are a naughty boy. She did not say a word during the entire flight. Maybe she does not talk to strangers. :P

      "Thanks for the report! (And for the publicity"
      - Au contraire, thank you for reading and commenting.
  • Comment 413424 by
    indianocean SILVER 7572 Comments
    "Is it worth the effort to collect this?"=> of course, it's Copa branded. One day, it's gonna be vintage.

    "So i closed my eyes with the first bite and pretended that I was savoring "poisson à la meunière"."=> with foie gras and truffle. I'm sure you will love it.
    I didnt' know you don't like vegetables.

    "Some pax were awaken for this?"=> with some champagne, why not?

    Thank you for sharing
    • Comment 413518 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      Salut Bernard.

      "One day, it's gonna be vintage."
      - That sounds ominous. Speaking of brand, I think it's time for CM to experience a "renaissance". The present logo is too closely associated to ex-CO. You might argue that it could be interpreted as a variant of it. You don't want to be thought of ex-CO's little sibling.

      "with foie gras and truffle. I'm sure you will love it."
      - Don't you think that would be running it too wild? I just imagined a nice dish, not a Lucullan feast. :P

      "I didnt' know you don't like vegetables."
      - But I like them. As a matter of act I'm a closeted vegetarian. :P

      "with some champagne, why not?"
      - Especially if I imagine to be drinking an Armand de Brignac Brut Rose or similar. ;)

      I always appreciate your comments mon ami.
  • Comment 418530 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this final installment of this great series.

    Stunning night shots after departing PTY.

    Despite the lacking features of the meal/snack on this flight, I appreciate your effort to make the situation ever so slighly better.

    Thanks once again for this great FR.

    Have a good one, see you!

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