Sorry for the basic question, but how does one know ahead of time which Copa plane you will be on? I'm interested in knowing if the business class seat will have the personal video player/plug-ins or whether they will be the one with the overhead TV?

What is the route?

You can also tell from the seat map often times

A great question! Edit: I repeat everything already answered before: In-flight Entertainment on 737-800

I am almost certain that the personal AVOD systems are only available on the "long-haul" aircraft with the longer first-class seat pitch. All the rest below is based on that assumption. Look at the Copa fleet page, and click on the "detalles tecnicos" for the 737 A and B versions. The B version image clearly shows the screens, the A version does not.

I think the only way you can tell you're getting a B version is to look for Row 11 on the seat map at booking--and hope it's absent. The 737-800 "version B" as Copa identifies it, has 16 Clase Ejecutiva and 138 Y seats, with rows jumping from 10 to 17. It has one fewer row than the A version with 144 seats. That extra row is 11.

I don't know how to know after booking however. Maybe revisiting the "select seat" option on the manage reservation page? Copa's flight status page does not distinguish between the 738s. Planespotters.net indicates which planes are which, if you know the tail code in advance. Flightaware.com will provide a tail code with a subscription account. Flightradar24.com doesn't seem to post the aircraft in advance. A subscription to expertflyer.com shows the seat map in advance. I tend to think that Copa fairly consistently uses the B models on longer flights, and that looking at histories or dummy bookings can give you a high level of confidence.

I have the same concerns. We're booked on #303 from LAX to PTY to UIO on 1/19/19 returning from GYE to PTY to LAX on 1/20/19. When I try to do a fake booking to see the row #'s I get an error message saying I'm already booked and won't let me proceed.

Anyone know what kind of IFE is offered in Business Class on the long haul to and from LAX ? The flight is over 7 hours so I would think this is a long haul.

Also, are there USB chargers in the Business seats?
Thank you.

I see all LAX flights for several days around there as all the long-haul version. The long-haul versions definitely have USB chargers in business class.

I also noted that many of the LAX flights around those dates (and even SFO ones too) were sold out in business, and some others old out in economy. Must be a good rout for CM.

Thanks, glad to hear there's USB on business seats. Are the movie selections on IFE similar to those offered on other major airlines?

I just got off the B version long-haul plane. The AVOD offered 40 films, with about 6 they classified as new releases (Deadpool 2, Adrift, All the Money in the World, Phantom Thread, Jumanji, I Tonya). I certainly could have chosen enough to keep me interested for the 6-hr flight. Their TV shows are really disappointing though: maximum of 2 episodes of the various shows they have. No binge watching there.

40 films... I didn't count that much. And the only movie that was a new release was Deadpool 2.

I ended up watching All About Eve.