COPA Airlines: Business Class Review

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We flew back from Puerto Maldonado (PEM) to San Francisco (SFO) by redeeming points on United. It was a relative steal at 35k points one-way for business class and a real treat to spend our 28 hour trip (it takes 4 connecting flights to get from the Amazon rainforest back home) in more comfortable seats.

The whole experience was definitely not the most luxurious of business class trips, though. Yes, the seats were bigger and reclined more, but that's about it.

First, the food and drink. There just wasn't that much of it. We flew from PEM-CUZ-LIM starting at 12:30, a trip that took 3.5 hours total, including a 30 minute stopover in Cusco. We were offered beverages just twice, when we boarded the plane and when we were in Cusco. We were so thirsty! And, there was absolutely NO food at all on the flight, which was clearly during Latin America's lunch time. We were starving by the time we got to Lima.

Secondly, we flew on Avianca from PEM-CUZ-LIM and Copa from LIM-PTY-SFO. We wanted to check-in our luggage all the way through so that we could spend our 8 hour stopover in Lima eating delicious food without our baggage...but they couldn't do it because Avianca and Copa aren't integrated even though they are both Star Alliance partners. And because we had such a long layover in Lima, the check-in desk wasn't open and wouldn't take our luggage...so we lugged it around Lima with us.

Lastly, COPA's flagship lounge in Panama City was pretty bereft of anything except tiny tasteless bagels.

Above is the ONLY meal we were served during our 28 hour travel itinerary. We were also served one snack. I guess I had to lose weight from all the holiday eating, anyways...

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