If you are Continental Gold, you will likely have no problem being upgraded. They do offer companion upgrades but I would probably split the reservation if I was you and then request the companion upgrade at the airport. Sometimes Copa does upgrades a little different, sometimes you clear a couple days ahead of the flight. By different I mean they will do upgrades either at the gate or on the plane. When I have flown JFK-PTY and PTY-MVD as a Gold I didn't have any issue getting upgraded. The ice cream sundae on the PTY-MVD flight is a nice touch and Copa in general is a very nice airline. Make sure to visit the Presidents Club in PTY, it will be free for you and a guest since you are traveling on an international itinerary and *Gold.