Copa Airlines Business Class In 2023: 737-800 Panama To Buenos Aires (Review)

I flew Copa Airlines Business Class before, but only on short flights (under 2 hours). I had to go from Miami to Buenos Aires, and luckily found some space open with Smiles miles. The options were quite reasonable, and although it wasn’t on the new 737 max with the newer business class cabins, all the other alternatives I had were quite expensive.

The first flight departed Miami at about 7am, and landed in Panama Tocumen around 9.15am. I had about 2h to visit the Copa Club lounge in Tocumen before heading to Buenos Aires. The worst part at the airport is that they only offer 15 min FREE WIFI. WTF!

Have a look below at the video review where I show everything in detail, as well as some of the pictures I took. For this flight, I paid 38.000 Smiles miles and $42 USD in taxes. It’s also possible to book this flight using SAS EuroBonus points. The standard price in cash is $2042 USD one-way.

Copa Airlines Business Class in 2023 (Panama to Buenos Aires)

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Flight Details (CM500)

• Airline: Copa Airlines, CM
• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800, HP-1730CMP
• Flight Number: CM500
• Seat: 3A
• Origin: Panama Tocumen (PTY), Panama
• Destination: Buenos Aires, Ezeiza (EZE), Argentina

Incoming flight and Transit

Copa Club Lounge Panama

Boarding

Seat and Cabin

IFE

Amenity Kit

Dining

The meal was very sub business class and definitely the worst part of the flight. It felt more like Premium Economy than Business Class. It also TOOK FOREVER. The whole service took 3.15 hours!

Landing in Buenos Aires

Conclusion

Copa Airlines Business Class on the older 737-800 cabins feels more like Premium Economy than Business Class. On the bright side, the crew was kind and attentive. The price in points is also reasonable in multiple frequency flyer programs. I used Smiles, but availability is also good using EuroBonus points. Also on the plus side, the amenity kit was made from recycled materials and sustainable sources.

The downside: the seat is not fully lie-flat and there’s almost no storage space around you; the in-flight entertainment system is old, slow, unresponsive and dated; there’s only one meal service and it was extremely slow (took more than 3 hours); the meal was bland and disappointing for Business Class; the toilet didn’t have any extra amenities.

Overall, Copa’s business class does the job if you get a cheap price or decent redemption rate, but it definitely wouldn’t be an airline I chose to buy a ticket from, unless there were no other options. I would recommend expecting a premium economy-like experience to avoid getting disappointed.

Other Business Class Trip Reports

• SAS A330 Business Class in 2023: Miami To Stockholm (Review)
• Swiss Business Class In 2023: 777-300ER Zurich To Miami [Review]
• Lufthansa Buenos Aires to Frankfurt Review (747-8 Business Class) [2023]