Called COPA for seat assignments on JFK-PTY-UIO for June flights.
The good news? Very friendly agent, phone lines open when I called on a Saturday night at 2AM. Got seats together for all four flights. Plus, the flight times have been changed, new departure time is luxuriously late 06:00AM, instead of 05:00AM.
The Bad News?
So I ask if the standard check-in time of 2 hours early is fine. No, the agent says, 3 hours.
Three hours means we should arrive at JFK at 03:00AM, with a wake-up alarm at 0145AM.....Eek!
We are flying in heavily discounted Y ($290 all-in!), have no status (Plat on NW, but zilch on CM), but even so how long could the lines be at JFK at, say, 430AM? Of course, I'm just checking here to make sure.
Thanks!