Copa Airlines Baggage and Carry-on

What is Copa Airlines policy on carry-on allowance?

The carry-on allowance on Copa Airlines flights is one carry-on bag plus one personal item:

• The carry-on bag with a maximum weight of 10 kg (22 lbs) and with dimensions (height + length + width) not exceeding 115 linear cm (46 in).
• The additional personal item could be a coat or jacket, books or magazines, camera or binocular, children’s bags, children’s care items, laptop computer, etc.

Copa Airlines allows for the handling, storage, and transportation of special aid devices for passengers with special needs in addition to the standard baggage allowance.

What is Copa Airlines policy on checked baggage allowance?

With the purchase of a ticket passengers may, at no additional cost, transport all baggage that complies with the following general conditions:

• Contains articles needed for the passenger’s comfort, such as clothes and personal effects.
• Baggage must be identified on the outside, as well as the inside, with the passenger’s complete name, address, and phone number.
• Pieces that are within the weight and size set in the general baggage conditions will be transported without any fee applied. Overweight and oversized baggage is subject to additional fees.

Pieces weighing more than 100 lbs (45 kg) (70 lbs / 32 kg on flights to/from Bahamas and Cuba) and/or whose combined linear measurements exceed 107 inches (272 cm), not including wheels, will not be accepted as baggage and must be transported as cargo.

Which baggage allowance is applicable if I have connections with others airlines?

According to Most Significant Carrier rule, if the longest or most significant stretch of the journey is operated by another airline, and not by Copa Airlines, this airline’s rules may also apply to Copa Airlines flights or Copa Airlines flight numbers. The Most Significant Carrier rule does not apply to journeys to or from the US.

Where the departure or arrival city is in the United States with codeshare flights, baggage rules of the Marketing Carrier (MC), which is the airline that sold the ticket, will apply. However, the airline listed as the first carrier on the ticket is at liberty to transfer the baggage rule stipulation to another airline in the itinerary(the Most Significant Carrier rule). In such a case, the other airline’s rules would then apply to the entire journey.

Checked Baggage

Free Baggage Allowance

A number of bags that are within the weight and size limitations will be transported without any fee applied. Each piece can measure up to 62 combined linear inches (157 cm), i.e. height + length + width, not including wheels.

Time Limits for Checking Baggage

On international flights, Copa Airlines does not allow bags to be checked in more than 4 hours in advance of the scheduled flight departure time. On domestic flights within Colombia, Copa Airlines does not allow to check in baggage more than 6 hours in advance of the flight departure time. If the passenger arrives at the ticket counter 60 minutes before the departure of the flight, it is possible that the bags may not arrive at the final destination on the same flight.

Excess Baggage Rules

• For all destinations, no more than 2 additional bags will be allowed.
• Additional pieces over 158 linear cm (62 inches) are not allowed.
• Remember that all baggage exceeding maximum size and weight, dimensions or piece limitations, will be taken subject to space availability and surcharges will be charged in accordance with exchange of the day.
• During specific periods and to/from certain destinations, restrictions on acceptance of excess baggage may apply:

Excess Baggage Fees

The fees for excess baggage are cumulative and apply for each limit exceeded:

• The number of free pieces – per each additional piece of checked baggage up to 23 kg and 158 linear cm:
  • USD 50 – domestic flights within Panama.
  • USD 175 – all other flights.
• The maximum size per piece – 150 USD per each oversized piece 159-272 linear cm (63-107 inches) on international flights (not accepted on domestic flights).
• The maximum weight:

Sporting Equipment

Most of sporting equipment is accepted as checked baggage. Copa Airlines does not accept gliders, canoes, boats, kayaks (except inflatable kayaks), jet skis, or surf skis as baggage.

Certain sporting equipment will be transported on international flights only upon payment of a service fee:

• Bicycles, skiing equipment, pole vault equipment, windsurf equipment – 100 USD.
• Firearms (to permitted destinations) – 50 USD.

Passengers traveling with surfboards or bodyboards (maximum two boards per bag) and exceeding the free baggage allowance will be charged as follows:

• USD 30 – domestic flights within Panama.
• 75 USD – flights to/from Panama City (PTY), United States (MIA, FLL, LAX, SFO), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Sao Paulo (GRU), Recife (REC), San Jose (SJO), Liberia (LIR), Managua (MGA).
• USD 100 – all other international flights.

Diving/scuba equipment is not accepted as part of the free baggage allowance, and a service charge for two separate pieces will apply for the empty tank and a bag containing other diving/scuba articles.

Baggage Service

If the bags are delayed, you must notify the Copa Airlines baggage service before leaving the airport. If not, the claim cannot be filed more than 21 days after the date of the flight. Copa Airlines is a member of a global program for tracking baggage called World Tracer. If the baggage has not been found after 5 days, the airport or city in which you filed the claim will take responsibility for the search.

Damaged baggage and missing items must be reported to the Baggage Services Office at the airport immediately after arrival. Alternatively, you may file a report in writing within 4 hours after the flight’s arrival for domestic flights, or within 7 days for international flights.

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