To Copa or not to Copa - that is the question!
 

I live in Phoenix and have to travel to Santiago Chile.

Essentially, 3 choices:

1. AA to DFW, AA to SCL
2. anything to LAX, LAN to Lima/SCL
3. anything to LAX, COPA to Panama City/SCL

Yes, it seems that AA is a no brainer, but I don't like flying AA (used them the last time I went to SCL).

As a GOLD, are upgrades available on COPA? Are the seats in coach any better/worse than LAN or AA?

I am probably going to have an upgradeable coach ticket. Can I use CO miles to upgrade on COPA?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

COPA uses OnePass, just like CO. Therefore, as a Gold, you'll also be eligible for upgrades. I've never flown COPA, but I do hear that award availability is better than on CO.

So if you're hoping to get EUAd, or use your miles to upgrade - COPA would be a better bet than your other options.

You can use miles to upgrade on Copa and any revenue fare class is upgradable. It is a domestic F seat, not a BF/J seat. The service is comparable to CO's International Business service. Flights include a couple choices of hot entree and the dinner flights include sundae service. I waited for the EUA to come through on my flights (and my companion) but the miles will ensure the upgrade. PTY is an efficient connection point and has a nice PC but otherwise isn't much to write home about.

I know that monitor and wolfie_cr have flown Copa a few times and shell_nyc is on a Copa plane right now on her way to GRU, so their feedback may be a bit more current than mine (I flew it last June) but I doubt it will be much different than what I described above.

Details on Copa mileage upgrades can be found in the FAQ post on partner mileage upgrades.

If I am not mistaken SCL is considered Southern South America, therefore not eligible for an EUA. According to upgrade reward charts you should be able to upgrade using miles on CO flights and select COPA flights. So far doing various searches none of the COPA operated flights have been upgradeable. (iah-scl, lax-scl & diff dates). SO I am not really sure which ones are actually eligible.

Destination isn't what controls the EUA-ability of a flight; marketed service class is. For BusinessFirst-marketed flights no EUAs are available. Copa operates International Business so all their flights are eligible. A lack of upgradable flights on co.com may just be a limitation of the search engine of inventory, but all Copa-operated flights are EUA-able for elites.

The PTY-SCL route is subject to EUA's. I have done it a number of times. Just keep in mind that the seating is like domestic F, no leg rests, etc.

like sbm12, I flew on CM last June. Upgrades on CM are notably easier, but I rode in Y because I wasn't elite. However, I am almost sure that at least on my PTY-SCL route that there were open seats in F. I was able to ride in 14A/F on all 4 segments (JFK-PTY-SCL and back), and that is probably the most desirable Y seat on the plane. In both directions, I did it just by asking at checkin 3 hours before departure.
Also, when considering upgrade chances, note that frequent fliers and status are generally uncommon in Latin America, so there is little competition.

If you're CO eilte, I'd say flying COPA is a no brainer. They're okay, and you'll probably get a free upgrade.

Besides, AA is the pits. Don't know about SCL in particular; but in other South American countries I've visited, their people tend to be the rudest, check-in lines the ugliest (which as CO elite you won't have to worry about on CM), and red tape the worst. At least that's my experience.

Copa
 

I flew copa on IAD-PTY-LIM and back during the Christmas season and enjoyed the experience. One thing to be aware of, however, is the timing of its flights. The IAD-PTY leg was at 5:20 AM, which is very early. As far as upgrades are concerned, I was upgraded on the whole IAD-PTY-LIM , but was not upgraded coming back (rather odd, IMO). As a Gold, I suppose it should not be too difficult to get an upgrade.

Buy the ticket on copaair.com and you still get 100% EQM's even on discounted economy fares. As others have said, you are eligible for EUA's and have a fair chance of getting one. But most importantly the booze is still free on Copa even if you don't get upgrades.

Also according to the Copa website they are giving a 2000 mile OnePass bonus on all bookings made on their site.
Nice perk that CO doesn't provide.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

As sbm12 mentioned, I flew Copa for the first time yesterday: JFK-PTY-GRU. It was perfectly acceptable (other than the 3:30a wakeup...ugh...) The F seats are standard domestic F, service is somewhere between domestic and int'l F. JFK-PTY is ~ 4.5 hrs and we were offered choice between 2 hot breakfast (eggs, pancakes) or fruit/muffin/yogurt plate. Much like what you would expect on a mid- or transcon.

On the PTY-GRU leg (~6.5hr) service started with warm nuts, followed by soup-salad-bread, then choice of 2 hot entrees (pork loin or ravioli) with ice cream sundae for dessert. About an hour out of GRU a snack of pita bread and dip was offered.
The inflight entertainment leaves much to be desired, and there is absolutely no reading material for sale in PTY (grrr!!) so bring plenty to keep yourself occupied. There is a CO/CM lounge in PTY, easy connection (no need to go through Customs/Immigration), and plenty of duty free shopping.

On the company dime CM won't be my preferred option to South America, but when $$ count, it's a good choice.

I would agree completely, if the company is paying there are better options, however, for leisure travel COPA is more than fine.

Dan

In addition to the above two benefits (EQMs & bonus miles) booking at copaair.com is the ONLY way to be able to further manage your booking online. If you buy the ticket through any other channel you'll have to call in to do everything related to the ticket. They do not have an "import" feature like co.com does where you can find a trip booked elsewhere and manage it there. Minor annoyance but one to be aware of.

Link: http://www.copaair.com/sites/cc/en/O...00-Millas.aspx . For Spanish, just change the "/en/" to "/es/".

2,000 OnePass Miles Closer
Receive 2000 OnePass bonus miles when purchasing your tickets on copaair.com. There is no limit on the number of times you can receive this promotion. ...

*This offer is valid for all OnePass members who purchase their travel online via copaair.com. Offer valid only for flights operated by Copa Airlines. OnePass number must be provided at the time of purchase. Bonus miles will be awarded 4 to 6 weeks after completion of travel. Mileage bonuses do not qualify toward Elite status. All OnePass terms and conditions apply. Copa Airlines Vacations and copaair.com Specials (E-rresistibles) purchases do not qualify for this offer. This promotion is not available to customers who have purchased reward travel or travel through other distribution channels.