Panama City

Copa Airlines offers discounted stopover packages in Panama City rather than a fully free stay. Most travelers pay a reduced rate for the hotel and tours, and still cover meals, transfers, and any transit-visa fee. Check the all-in price before you book.

Passengers flying Copa Airlines on a ticket issued by the airline, with a qualifying layover in PTY between 24 and 360 hours. Eligible booking classes: Economy, Business. Copa T&Cs state stopover beyond 7 days reverts to multi-city pricing. Hotels/restaurants are 15-30% off (not free). Tours (Canal, Casco Viejo, Biomuseo) are paid at discounted rates via the partner portal.

Your connection in PTY should fall between 24 and 360 hours. Two things travelers get caught by: flight-search sites usually show the shortest connection by default, and that's often too short to qualify. You may need to deliberately pick a longer-layover flight. And the layover shown isn't all usable: clearing immigration and any baggage steps eats into it, so give yourself comfortable margin above the 24-hour minimum.

Stopover programs are run by the airline, so the safest route is a ticket booked directly with Copa Airlines on an eligible fare. Award and miles tickets, and bookings made through online travel agencies or other third-party sites, often follow different rules: sometimes they don't qualify, sometimes the stopover has to be arranged another way. Before booking like that, confirm directly with Copa Airlines that your specific ticket type is eligible.

To leave the airport for your stopover you must meet Panama's transit or entry rules, and this matters before you even fly: if your passport requires a transit visa and you don't have one, the airline can deny boarding. The good news: many nationalities get visa-free transit, visa-on-arrival, or a quick e-visa, and some stopover programs include the transit visa. Select your nationality on this page to see the exact requirement for Panama, and arrange any visa well before departure.

Airlines do sometimes adjust schedules after you book. A change can shorten or lengthen your layover. If it drops the connection below the 24-hour minimum, or past the maximum, it can affect your eligibility. If you get a schedule-change notice, re-check your layover against the program's window and contact Copa Airlines to rebook or re-confirm the stopover. It's worth re-checking your itinerary a few days before departure.

On a single Copa Airlines ticket, your checked bags are normally tagged straight through to your final destination, so you head into Panama City with just your carry-on, and your luggage continues on the onward flight. You'd only collect and re-check bags if part of your trip is on a separate ticket. If you'd like a checked bag with you for the overnight stay, ask Copa Airlines when you arrange the stopover.

Most stopover programs allow only one stopover per round-trip — on either the outbound or the return leg, not both. A few carriers are more flexible. Confirm with Copa Airlines whether your specific itinerary can include a stopover on each leg before planning two stops.

Copa Airlines offers discounted hotel packages in Panama City rather than a complimentary room; you pick from their partner options at a reduced rate. Confirm the all-in price when you book.

Add stopover during booking on copaair.com or at panama-stopover.com. Must be requested BEFORE ticketing.

Up to 15 days. You can extend your layover without paying additional airfare, as long as it fits within the program's rules.