This trip started in a completely unexpected manner, and was an absolute dumspter fire. Originally, I was supposed to fly from Belo Horizonte to Los Angeles on Azul Linhas Aéreas and 
United Airlines
. But, shortly before boarding was supposed to start, Azul delayed the flight by more than two hours, which meant I would miss my international connection.
It took more than three hours to locate my bags and have them brought to baggage claim so that I could go to Azul and rebook my flight. Fast-forward to five hours later, and skipping a lot of details, I finally had a new itinerary. Azul booked me on Copa Airlines
’ flight departing the following morning at 01:35.
Check-in
At 22:50, I arrived at the international check-in area at Aeroporto Internacional de Belo Horizonte (CNF). In Belo Horizonte, 7 airlines operate international services: Azul, TAP Air Portugal, Copa, LATAM Brasil, Sky Airline, Paranair, and GOL Linhas Aéreas. Copa’s check-in had opened just 20 minutes before I arrived, and because the airline only had one flight, the line was short. Within minutes, I was checking my bags.
On this trip, I had two checked bags. One had been included in the fare that I booked through United, and the second, I had paid to Azul since the first leg of the return to the US was with them. My Copa ticket only included one ticket but because I had paid Azul for the second bag, Copa Airline added it.
Within about 15 minutes, I had completed the check-in process and checked my bags. The security checkpoint was located right behind the check-in desks, and, like many Brazilian airports, had an e-gate to access it. By 23:13, I was at the checkpoint. To my surprise, and frustration, I had to remove all liquids from my bag in order for it to go through the x-ray.
While this may be standard procedure in Europe, it certainly is not in Brazil and caught me off guard. It took about 12 minutes to get through security, and by 23:25, I was on my way to immigration. Immigration only took three minutes, and because the system was down, staff were taking photos of passengers’ passports and boarding passes.
At the gate
Boarding was supposed to start at 00:35, but began late because the inbound flight was late. By 01:01, Copa’s staff began the boarding process at gate 60. The gate area offered plenty of seating, and a variety of seat types. Access to power was limited.
Within six minutes of the start of boarding, Group 3 (my group) was called. By 01:08, I was on the escalator heading down to the jetbridge (the gate area is on the third floor of the airport). Things were moving pretty quickly, and within four minutes, I was onboard and was quickly able to find my seat, 27F.
The airline staff had placed me in 18A at the emergency exit but later asked me if I would be okay with switching seats. The staff knew of my situation and that I needed rest, and they still gave me a whole row to myself.
On the plane
The Boeing 737-800 used for this flight, registered as HP-1830CMP, was equipped with inflight entertainment screens at every seat, which is not standard in Copa’s fleet. USB power was included under every screen, but there was no 110V power under the seats. Legroom was quite standard at my seat.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
Though the interior of the aircraft looked refurbished, it did not feature the larger overhead bins that can accommodate bags on their sides. One of the things I noticed was that no blankets were available on the seats, so I went to the galley and asked for one. Within minutes, the flight attendant brought me a blanket.
WiFi was not available on the aircraft, and has not been available on any Copa plane I have flown on. Because of the inflight entertainment screens at every seat, the network for accessing entertainment on individual devices was also not available.
At 01:37, the crew did their crosscheck procedure, one of the final preparations for departure. Five minutes later, and seven minutes behind schedule, we pushed back and headed for runway 34. Our taxi time was 13 minutes, and we took off at 01:55. Because of the timing of the flight, a meal service was not provided shortly after takeoff.
In the air
On this flight, I was so tired that I fell asleep right after takeoff. When I woke up, I made my “bed” across the three seats in my row. Within minutes, I was asleep again and getting some much-needed rest. By the time I woke up (at 06:10 Brazil time), the crew was serving breakfast.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
Copa had two breakfast options; the first was a croissant sandwich with egg, cheese, and tomato, while the second was some sort of apple pie. Both were accompanied by a small fruit bowl and yogurt. Additionally, there were a variety of beverages offered, like juices, sodas, coffee, and water. I chose the croissant sandwich, which I enjoyed, and felt that it was a hearty option for a plane breakfast.
After eating, I went back to sleep and was woken up by a flight attendant who said that the cabin was being prepared for landing. At that point, I had been lying across the three seats with my seatbelt fastened, but I guess I was not allowed to remain in that position for landing.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
As we descended into PTY, te sun was rising and provided us with beautiful views. The approach to the airport was over the ocean and, eventually, over the wetlands near the airport. Despite a slightly late departure, we landed at 06:07 (08:07 Brazil time), and within three minutes, we arrived at our gate, 18 minutes ahead of schedule.
This was my fourth trip with Copa this year, and it continues to be a great option for flights between the US and Brazil. Using the ‘Hub of the Americas’, Copa flies to several desitnations in Brazil and in the US. Many people tend to criticize long-haul operations on narrowbodies, but the experience is nothing to complain about. Though flying with Copa was not what I had planned, it ended up being a great experience, as always, and I would fly with them again.