COPA's J seats are identical to CO's domestic F seats. They are ok, but not very comfortable for long flights (e.g., EZE).

How does COPA handle seat assignment?
 

We are looking at flying CM next summer for vacation.

I can't find anything on their website on how seat assignments are handled. Can you get seats pre-assigned? Or do you have to do the 23:59 check-in online?

We booked online IAD-AUA for July 2012 and selected seats online.

You can pre-select your seats even if you book on another site that does not allow you to select seats. Once you have your 6-character record locator (e.g. EETWDN) in hand, go to copaair.com and select the "my trips" tab. Once there, you enter the record locator and your last name, and the reservation will come up with a link to the seat selection.

You can do this within minutes of making the reservation on the other site.

once yo make your selection, make sure you hit the "save" button on the bottom and wait patiently until the screen returns to the original reservations screen, or your selections will be lost. The site is slow, and that can take up to a minute.

You can even pre-select seats on domestic flights in Colombia on Copa affiliate Aero Republica. And I found last week that most of the seats (IAD-PTY-BOG-CTG-PTY-IAD) were NOT pre-selected, so even if you book late, there could very well be plenty of seats together.

I just booked a COPA flight (IAD-PTY-IAD) for early February 2012. I know I'm eligible for a complimentary upgrade as a Platinum on CO but is there a way to tell when upgrades (using miles or CR-1s) is available? Do they use the R/RN bucket like CO?

My parents are flying Copa today (from MCO to Panama City and on to Brazil). They booked seats when booking their flights originally--waited for confirmation and printed confirmation with seat assignments. A few weeks ago they went into their reservation (after someone told them of their selected seats disappearing) and the seat assignments were gone. They called and were told "someone else wanted those seats so they took them." The agent then put them in exit row seats--asking the required questions. They checked in online, again being asked exit row requirement questions. This morning they checked in at the counter at MCO to show passports and check one bag and proceeded to the gate. At the gate they were told that they were removed from their exit row seats because they aren't fluent in Spanish---that "the flight attendant's policy is that everyone in those seats must be fluent in Spanish" (they do not have to be able to speak English). They were never asked about speaking Spanish until they arrived at the gate (not by the agent who assigned the exit row seats on the phone, not during online check-in, etc.). They are Star Alliance Silver and are now in bad seats for their 3+ hour flight.

COPA does not show anything but C or D for Clase Ejecutiva. In my experience you can call Continental immediately to have your Regional or SWU processed.

For COPA purposes, Regional UG's and SWU's are the same, so use up your regionals here.

That's disappointing to hear. As I've noted before, I fly COPA a lot, and generally like them. The two areas in which I find them deficient are:

1) Seat assignments on the web not always sticking (I now call them in).

2) Not enough staff fluent in English such that English speakers will be comfortable. Lots of gate and airport announcements are only in Spanish. Not a problem for me now that I can get by in Spanish, but I did not like it before then.

I've not heard of non-Spanish speakers not being allowed in the exit row, but on the other hand, I've seen my non-English speaking MIL kicked out of the exit row on Continental for the same reason.

NOTE: Star A Silver does not apply here, as COPA will not be a member until mid year.

Copa is great! On time performance, upgrades and service.

However they fly 737 (except some routes in and to Colombia).

Flying a 737 is a PITA for traveling from PTY to SCL or EZE. Well, anything over 3 hours on a 737 is not good, but 7 hours is pathetic.

Even in Business Class, it's not worth it unless you have no 767 option for the same flight lenght (ie BUE-SAL, BUE-GUA, BUE-SAL, etc).

FWIW - COPA flies the E-190 on a lot of routes other than into Colombia. Travellers should be aware that the 190's flying outside Colombia all have nice business class seats (better than the 737). However, some of the COPA Colombia 190's are configured as all economy. So, SOME of the flights into Colombia have no business class and all flights on 190's within the country are all economy. That said, the COPA 190's economy class is more comfortable than most other airlines, even in non-premium seats.

I agree that 7 hours is a long time on a 737, even in clase ejecutiva. On the other hand, the price difference that I always seems to run into drives me back to COPA.

Not happy to hear this. Just booked COPA for the first time a few months ago for an upcoming trip to Aruba. We are in exit row seats and do not speak Spanish. It was not a requirement. I wonder if we should expect this same problem??????

It depends on the Flight Attendant. If the FA's preference is to have a spanish speaker in the exit row during an emergency, then they have the right to reseat you. If the FA doesn't care, you should have no problem.

Depends on how comfortable the FAs are in English, and, as stated above, also their general preferences.

OK---fingers crossed!