Originally Posted by
nomad420
If your main issue is the getting down to UIO then again I would consider UA/Copa out of SFO. I take UA through IAH as I don't want to go through PTY (never have and it may be ok I'll let others respond to that). Copa F class is supposedly actually pretty good and relative to UA cheap but again that is not first hand knowledge as I use UA. They have at least a couple of flights a day with one around 10am (and some latter) so you don't have to knock yourself out by getting to PDX for a 5am flight into IAH and wait hours. Check it out.
As others have said PTY is a very easy connection, the biggest downside to PTY is that the food choices are not the best, but other than that, it is no muss, no fuss.