PANAMA: Copa Airlines Goes To Barbados July 17, 2018

Copa Airlines, awaiting final arrangements and approval from the Barbados Tourism Office, has confirmed that it will begin a two-weekly service to the island of Barbados from July 17, 2018.

This addition follows the carrier’s initiative to strengthen its flight network in the Caribbean region.

Copa is proud to begin flights to Barbados and be the only airline connecting this beautiful and dynamic Caribbean island with Latin America, shared Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines.

With this new destination, we uphold our leadership and presence in the Caribbean region, where we serve 16 destinations, he added.

Outbound flights will depart from Panama’s Tocumen International Airport (PTY) at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, and arrive in Bridgetown’s Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) at 2:00 p.m.

The inbound flight operates on the same days, taking off from BGI at 3:00 p.m. to land in PTY at 5:30 p.m.

Copa will deploy its Boeing 737-800 to the new Caribbean destination, offering a seating capacity of 152 passengers in a two-class configuration, which consists of 16 passengers in business class and 138 in the main cabin.

Heilbron later recalled that the connectivity between Panama and this new destination will generate important opportunities for the development and strengthening of tourism and commercial activity, both for Panama and the 76 additional destinations serviced by the airline.

Executive Director of the Barbados Tourism Office, William Griffith, also established that this new route is very important for them, as it provides the opportunity to show all of Latin America our culture, our incredible beaches, our range of hotels, our culinary identity and the many activities we have to offer, he said.

Copa operates approximately 350 daily flights through the Hub of the Americas at PTY, connecting 78 cities in 32 countries of the continent with 89 aircraft: 77 Boeing 737 Next-Generation and 12 Embraer-190.

The Panamanian airline has also agreements and codeshares with other international carriers, such as Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM, allowing its customers to reach over 1,300 airports in 191 countries, with more than 18,400 daily flights.


Tourism Observer

PANAMA: Copa Airlines Restarts Flights To St. Maarten

Copa Airlines will resumed its twice-weekly operations June 2, 2018 to and from St. Maarten, which were suspended following Hurricane Irma back in 2017. Tthe company it’s compromised to add more frequencies during peak travel season.

Likewise, flight CM134 between Panama’s Tocumen International Airport (PTY) and St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) will take off at 7:24 a.m., to land at 11:30 a.m. on Mondays and Saturdays.

Meanwhile, return flight CM133 will leave SXM at 12:29 p.m. to arrive in PTY at 2:46 p.m. local time.

With Copa Airlines resuming operations we will promote the island’s economic, commercial and touristic growth, shared Christophe Didier, Copa Airline’s Sales Vice President.

Since the airline started flying to St. Maarten eight years ago, it has become one of our passengers all time favorite Caribbean destinations, according to Didier.

According to Copa Airlines, St. Maarten’s resume of operations restates its commitment with the Caribbean’s economic, commercial and touristic growth, which is a region that received support from the carrier after Hurricane Irma’s impact with resources such as food, equipment, medicines, among others.

Therefore, the Panama flag carrier, along with tourism authorities from St. Maarten, Saint Martin, and Anguilla, will increase the number of travelers offering flights to these islands which are also connected to over 60 destinations in South America, Central America, and North America.

Rolando Brison, St. Maarten’s Director of Tourism Office, established, For many years, Copa Airlines has been literally a bridge connecting us to Central and South America.

We expect that Copa Airlines will carry thousands of passengers to St. Maarten, one of the most beautiful and unique destinations in the Caribbean.

Copa Airlines has agreements and codeshares with other international carriers, such as Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM, allowing its customers to reach over 1,300 airports in 191 countries, with more than 18,400 daily flights.

Currently, the airline offers service to more than 70 destinations in 31 countries, in North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean with 89 aircraft: 77 Boeing 737 Next-Generation and 12 Embraer-190.


Tourism Observer

PANAMA: Copa Expands Services To Fort Lauderdale And Tampa

Copa Airlines has announced that it will expand service to Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, Florida, beginning in July 2018.

This decision comes after the carrier’s consideration to offer its passengers more flights with improved schedules and connectivity with the rest of the continent.

We are constantly seeking opportunities to offer our passengers more flight options, says Copa Airlines CEO, Pedro Heilbron.

This dedication to service led us to evaluate every route and examine the possibility of increasing flight frequency. We see potential in these markets as demand has increased over this past year.

With these new flights in the U.S., passengers who want to visit these important tourist destinations will find that they have more seats and more dates to choose from, Heilbron said.

Copa will operate daily flights between Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Panama’s Tocumen International Airport (PTY) starting July 14, 2018.

Daily flights from PTY to TPA depart at 9:10 am and land at 1:30 pm local time, while the return flight takes off from TPA at 3:09 pm and arrives in PTY at 5:33 pm local time.

Having flights from Panama seven days a week makes it easier for our Latin American guests to come to enjoy our world-famous beaches, museums, nightlife and amusement parks, says Tampa International Airport’s CEO Joe Lopano.

The Tampa Bay area is also an important business hub and having a wider range of flights will enable international business travelers to get to their meetings on time. This will have a positive impact on Tampa’s economy and our business ties throughout the Americas,” he added.

Copa currently operates an average of 350 daily flights through the Hub of the Americas, which was founded in 1992 and it’s located at PTY.

The Star Alliance member will also increase from four to five weekly flights between PTY and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) from July 22.

Five flights a week, available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, will depart PTY at 11:39 am, to land in FLL at 3:48 pm local time. The return flight leaves FLL at 5:51 pm, and arrives in PTY at 8:01 pm local time.

Congratulations to Copa Airlines for their continued success at Broward County´s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, helping to make FLL one of the fastest growing airports in the United States,” said Mark Gale, CEO/Director of Aviation Broward County’s FLL.

This expanded service to Panama City, Copa will offer travelers the opportunity to experience all the unique amenities Broward County has to offer, from unique dining choices, amazing water sports activities to fine arts,” added Gale.

The Panamanian airline has also agreements and codeshares with other international carriers, such as Lufthansa, Air France, and KLM, allowing its customers to reach over 1,300 airports in 191 countries, with more than 18,400 daily flights.


Tourism Observer

BELIZE: Copa Airlines Inaugural Flight To Belize

Copa Airlines, Panama’s leading airline, had its inaugural flight touch down in Belize December 8th and now offering flights to Belize for its passengers as part of its expansion efforts.

Lloyd Alvarez, Cahal Pech Village Resort Reservations Manager, who has been working in the tourism industry for over a decade said Copa Airlines will definitely increase overnight tourism arrivals from South America.

Copa Airlines will be offering two weekly flights to Belize City from Hub de la Americas, Panama City. With this new addition, Copa Airlines will now expand its route to 75 cities and 31 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean with Belize being the seventh in Central America.

The addition of Belize to Copa’s route now means that the airline covers all of Central America and strengthens their regional leadership.

“The connectivity will open enormous opportunities for tourism and commercial development for this interesting Caribbean country, as well as allowing for tourists from the same region to have the opportunity to enjoy all the tourism and commercial strengths Belize has to offer,” Copa Airlines Executive President Pedro Heilbron said.

Flight CM 281 will leave Belize City on Tuesdays and Fridays at 2:17 p.m., arriving at ‘Hub de las Americas’ at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City at 5:34 p.m. The return flight, will leave Panama Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:29 a.m. arriving in Belize at 12:52 midday. All flights are local time and the flight time is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes.

For its direct flight to Belize, Copa will be operating a modern Embraer 190 aircraft with capacity for 94 passengers, 10 in Executive Class and 84 in the main cabin. This aircraft is characterized for having two seats in each side of the isle without a center seat, which makes it more attractive and comfortable for passengers.

From Hub de las Americas in Panama, Copa airlines offers more international flights than any other airline with a center of operations in this continent. The flight from Belize to Panama was programmed to provide convenient connection to Sao Paulo, Brazil; San Jose, Costa Rica; Bogota, Cartagena and Medellin in Colombia; Santiago de Chile, Chile; Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador; Managua, Nicaragua; Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago; Havana, Cuba; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Lima, Peru.

The passengers in transit will not need to pass through immigration or wait in a customs line, and their luggage will be checked at their final destination. In addition, Belizeans will have access to the top five biggest shopping malls in Latin America, a “Stop Over” two nights free of charge in Panama, and easier access to the Caribbean and Latin America for business and vacation.

Alvarez said he is proud of Belize’s tourism industry for remaining vibrant and partnering with Southwest Airlines, who also recently added a new route to Belize. Airfare to Belize has gone down by 20 percent this year compared to last year with Southwest’s introduction and low prices causing other airlines flying to Belize to lower their prices.

2016 looks to be an even better year for airfare as additional airlines, including Westjet, look to partner with Belize and increase air traffic to and from the country.

Alvarez said Cahal Pech looks forward to the increase in overnight arrivals as it will boost the local economy and help to strengthen the tourism industry, which accounts for 18 percent of the country’s GDP.

Cahal Pech Village Resort, located in the Cayo District is comprised of 23 palm thatched cabanas, 14 standard rooms, 5 spacious suites, 9 deluxe suites, 3 fresh water swimming pools, a restaurant that serves an assortment of gourmet flair, a fully stocked bar, a gift shop, a fleet of tour vehicles and a cadre of professional staff.

Families, honeymooners and adventure travelers use the resort as an ideal base to explore the amazing and wonderful ecotourism activities in San Ignacio Town. The resort is owned by Dan and Miriam Silva and has been in operation since 1995.