PTY Layover
 

I will be flying YYZ-PTY-MGA in J. I have a 23 hour layover on the return and will go into Panama City. If I have checked luggage MGA-PTY-YYZ with this long layover, do I have to collect my luggage or will it be checked all the way through?

If the flight from PTY-YYZ is at 18:30 on a weekday, when should I plan to leave Panama City for the airport?

TIA

Might want to be merged to the PTY thread about connections: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/copa...questions.html

The baggage should be checked through, as its all on Copa, even with the overnight. However some people have told me otherwise - although no idea if they were on different tickets etc

You really want to be out of of the city by 4pm on any weekday. Honestly I would leave the city before 3pm, get to the airport early (Copa counters always open) and get your boarding passes (and check bags if needed) and then go to the lounge to wait for ur flight. Its nothing special, but has free wifi, alcohol and some snacks, and much more fun than missing your flight

Also, if you are departing in the next 10-12 days then I would leave even earlier with the Pope being here and shutting down most of the city

And on the above, immigration (coming into Panama) was taking well over 2 hours yesterday for non residents

I have flown to MGA dozens of times on Copa ex-YYZ and have never seen a 23 hour connection. There's only one flight a day to Toronto but surely there are better flights the same day from MGA even if it's via the triangle (e.g. via SJO or GUA hardly an issue).

Unless it is on purpose then I am sure Copa will treat it as a stopover and you'd collect the bags in Panama.

Correct, I chose a longer stopover in order to do a little sightseeing in Panama.

So I have to collect my bags and re-check them in the next day?

I trust CM for really short connections even succeeded with one that was only 15 minutes due to a delay. Would I want my luggage in PTY airport for 23 hours? No. With CX in HKG, sure? And I have done that and done that out of BKK with an overnight connection (that was leaving less than 24 hours from my arrival).

I think they will view this as a stopover well over the maximum time allowed to check-in which is probably 3 or 4 hours. E.g. if you showed up at 7:30 pm today to check in for tomorrow's 6:30 p.m. flight I doubt they'd do it.

You can ask in MGA what they will do but be prepared to carry luggage around as you explore. They are pleasant and speak great English and unless the computer stops them which I think it will, then they might need to be told it actually is not a stopover. They might assume you do want the luggage in Panama so I'd be explicit in case they assume wrong and the computer allows it.

I have the same situation IAH-PTY-PBM. My luggage has to make it to PBM and layover is 14 hours overnight. Should I check in?

Check in where? You could ask at IAH to send to PTY only and go get them and then go and check-in in PTY for the next flight. But 14 hours before? Maybe not so then what? You are in Panama with luggage, no check-in and no ability to go back through security. I am not sure why you would do that. Is this a forced connection to see Panama like the OP? He never did say what they allowed or not.

Hmm...I see the problem, all inbound flights to PTY arrive after the very early flight to PBM CM318 so you are arriving at 8 at night almost.

I would see if an actual stopover is allowed and stay in Panama for a day vs. sit around that boring hellhole for 14 hours. Or fly Surinam Airways maybe. Not * Alliance though. You have just a lot of terrible choices, frankly. Three connection * Alliance flights to use up time and earn segments and miles, fly on a non-* Alliance carrier or sit around PTY for more than 1/2 a day.

I would visit Panama.

I have three options for flights to Panama 732 AM 1016 AM 335 PM. I am leaning towards 1016 AM because then if my luggage misses that flight it has one more chance to make it to Panama before going to PBM which is a two times a week flight.

My question was about checking in the bag all the way to PBM. I'm just hoping it wouldn't get lost sitting that long in the airport. It would save me a lot of annoyance by not having to pick them up and re-check though.

With CA airlines I'd worry more about 14 hours than 30 minutes. The efficiency is good at PTY but you have to think about where that bag sits for 14 hours and what's in it.

Any update on what happened with your iteinary.. I am looking for a similar connection with 23 hrs layover and would need luggage in PTY