'is Copa Air out of their minds?' Travel

Edward from Miami (Contact Member) -

I made a reservation (actually bought a ticket) from Copa Air and had a simple question. Rather than waiting on hold, I figured it would be quick and simple to use their customer service page.

That wasn't too bad, but rather than giving you a decent size box, they give you about 1 line by 40 characters to type in, though allow a longer message.

I was shocked after I submitted the message:

Our Customer Care Department has a standard time of response to complaints of 10 labor days for Elite OnePass, Business Class, and Corporate Customers; and up to 25 labor days for Coach Class and Non Elite customers.

25 business days!?!?!?! I will have completed my trip long before they will ever answer me. Instead I have to be punished by waiting on hold and listening to elevator music.

I guess next time I will consider a different carriers.

Comment #1 rowena105 from Hogstown, The Universe (Contact Member) -

Good Grief.... 25 days to wait for a simple answer? Hopefully you had a hands free phone and could go about your work while waiting for the "elevator music" to end.

That's disgusting, although they say in the southern hemisphere everything goes at a slower pace and we northerners are just not used to it.

I guess they are right.

Comment #2 Evelyn (63.176.159.163) -

What the? 25 business days, man you have totally been duped. Thanks for sharing this experience of yours here. That will warn travelers like us not to avail that crappy services of Copa Air... They should be named "Crappy" Air.

Comment #3 sylvio franco (189.32.172.60) -

>I am brazilian and I wish to donate "one" used Deskto Computer to a poor cuban university student.

>Do you make cargo transportation point to point, between the city of São Paulo(Brazil) and La Havana Cuba?

>The student would pick it up in your Havana airport Office.

>I will declare it (if necessary) as a donation, without commercila value, to exempt you from any resposbility.

1) what is the cargo fare

2)How to calculate in function of weight a size?

3)I will provide all local legal licenses.

Cordally yours - S.Franco

Comment #4 Chris (63.176.159.121) -

Copa Airlines, based in Panama City, is the national flag carrier airline of Panama. Its main base of operations is Tocumen International Airport, from where it operates approximately 148 daily scheduled flights to 45 destinations in 24 countries in North America, Central America, South America and The Caribbean.

On June 6, 1992. A Boeing 737-200, marked as Copa Airlines Flight 201 departed from Panama City to Cali, Colombia, and crashed in the Darien Gap after an instrument failure, killing 47 passengers onboard.

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Airlines#Destinations

Comment #5 moy (63.176.159.7) -

That airline is not at all serious about retaining its customer base. Either it has enjoyed the monopoly for a long time and is no longer interested in maintaining good communication skills or they simply do not care about you and many others.

10 people a day would still be a small number to deal with. Twenty five days? Are they out of their mind?

That gives you a hint..you should choose other carriers next time.

Comment #6 Sheen (63.176.159.148) -

More info about Copa:

Copa Airlines is an Associate airline of SkyTeam. Copa’s cooperation with SkyTeam effectively increases the reach of our network across the globe. For your convenience, you can travel with a single ticket and enjoy a single check-in process, with all baggage checked through to your final destination, all the while enjoying the comfort and perks that Copa Airlines and the SkyTeam partners jointly offer. Here are some other basic facts about Copa Airlines:

* Hub airport: Tocumen International Airport (PTY), Panama City, Panama

* 41 destinations served in 22 countries (as of summer 2008)

* 243 flights operated daily

* 39 aircraft in fleet

* 3.8 million passengers served

* Began operations in 1947

* Sponsor airline: Continental Airlines

• www.skyteam.com/about/carriers/copaairlines.html

Comment #7 moy (63.176.159.159) -

Sheen's post made me wonder whether there was much credibility in what was initially said about Copa Airlines. That number of flights and passengers on board points towards the monopoly I was seeking to address.

That link just mentions a bit about reservations for your tickets and other scanty details about the true nature of things.

I am not faulting the airline but need to ask, are there any loopholes that exist in the whole system?

Comment #8 Importance of ME (63.176.159.98) -

Though there are reliable and quality customer services and assistance by various industries, there will always be those rotten tomatoes which destroys the image of a company. This is why it is essential for any industry to invest on the training and developing their customer service department so that they can maintain a nice image for their consumers. In the end, everything will come back to a company and they will get what they have provided and bad publicity is not a good publicity, in contrast to the acclaimed saying.

Comment #9 Maya (63.176.159.76) -

It is for you to find out moy, i think copa airlines would not in any possible way let us know about it.

And with regards to those claimed ba treatment and faulty services, i think that could be worked onto..the management could have worked harder on the issue. And as post number 8 had said, training is always a must and always been important.

Better research on the topic....

Comment #10 Marco Martinez from Panama City (Contact Member) -

My friend is applying to residence in Panama since a good comunicaton is not part of the Panamenian structure He was told that he need to buy another thicket to return and was told to return the it in Panama, so I took him to the COPA office and he was told that he need to use the it or to come back to Miami and exchange the same. I try to get involve and since I am latin the girl "said to me can you speak spanish please" I was soo upset and said I few things to that indian. No service at all from COPA. So in Miami took the thicket and complain and they said they were very sorry but Panameniams are not known for good service. It has a lot of to say because that person is a Panamenian living in USA, It said a lot the people looking to re-locate in Panama.

Comment #11 Sidney (63.176.159.74) -

COPA airlines is Panma's main airlines, it is sad that there are lots of negative feedbacks regarding their services. Anyway we can always check on this feedback and validate if they are for real.

I happen to read from a blog review that COPA airlines are offering several fly deals and so lots are getting attracted of visiting Panama.

I have to check on this negative claims anyway, I'll update you guys

Comment #12 Nicky (63.176.159.234) -

Hope Sydney return with that post he promised us here.

Well i have to agree that certainly COPA airlines is the main airline in Panama. There are lots of negative claims over the service of the airline but i believe that not all have experienced this kind of treatment.

All i have to say is that like Sydney, we have to first know if those negative statements are correct and true.

Comment #13 Minnie (63.176.159.186) -

How can we know if those statements are fake or true at all? They are claims and as we all know, we can all write whatever that pleases us, so how can we know.

But i think and believes in the saying that if there is smoke, there should be fire, right? So maybe those statements could be true, who knows?

Yet we have the power to know by researching..

Comment #14 abie (63.176.159.187) -

Have to agree with that Minnie. We do not really know how to distinguish on which statements are true or not, and so we have to be very cautious on the information we are disclosing and as well as for those information that we are taking.

But well, the reason we have common sense is for us to know when we are being fooled or not.

Better luck to all of us

Comment #15 U-U (63.176.159.122) -

Being careful with information that we disclose over the net is crucial nowadays.

And i also have to agree that listening only to one side of the story is being unjust. Let us hope that someone from the Copa goes and joins in this forum and try to say something regarding the issue.

Think we just have to wait till that moment comes, right?

Anyway, have to read more on this matter.

Comment #16 Eve (63.176.159.98) -

Many airplane carriers can never fully be trusted because there is always some piece of paper work or stipulation or regulation that was put into place simply to keep the average citizen at bay.

Comment #17 Micky (63.176.159.126) - 11/17/09 10:20

My experience with Copa has always been very good. Their employees have always been pleasant and the fares reasonable. Don´t understand what is going on with its customer care department. Maybe it was an error. Try again!

Comment #18 Eve (63.176.159.188) - 11/30/09 10:10

I have never traveled with Copa, but I do know of the terrible service that people can experience from airlines and plane travel.

Comment #19 Eve (63.176.159.158) - 12/07/09 14:23

I should know of the problems that are experienced with flight travel, because until recently, I had been traveling nonstop, ever since the year two thousand and three, up until the year two thousand and eight, or so. Many a plane flight had I been on between that particular period of time.

Comment #20 Eve (63.176.159.114) - 12/12/09 11:23

I can vouch for a couple of airlines, and there is quite simply no doubt about it.

Comment #21 adam (63.176.159.85) - 12/28/09 10:22

I hate airline travel, why would anyone even bother with that when there are boats and cars to move about in much more of a safe situation.

Comment #22 Daniel Hardwick (72.91.99.67) - 01/02/10 19:28

"Retired"

The post from Marco Martinez about COPA AIRLINES is CORRECT!

While living in Panama City, I purchased a ticket to Miami. When I tried to change the date, they would not do it, they said purchase a new fare to PC and take the ticket you want a refund for to COPA AIRLINES Headquarters in Coste del Este........that's where my friend, Marco Martinez and I had trouble with a customer service rep at the counter.........she told me COPA will NOT refund the ticket (remember, I'm at COPA HEADQUARTERS ticket counter), she said I would need to go to the ticket counter where I bought the ticket, MIAMI COPA ticket counter. I did that after going back to Miami airport, they then told me I need to take it to COPA on Blue Lagoon Drive in Miami, which I did, and instead of issuing me a credit immediately on my credit card, they said it would be 2 to 4 weeks.........I finally did get the refund 4 weeks later.....

NO MORE COPA AIRLINES!!!!

Comment #23 carlos (63.176.159.103) - 01/14/10 22:55

Are you serious? Riding in a plane is taking advantage of the best form of travel that had ever been invented by man.

Comment #24 Lisa (63.176.159.7) - 02/10/10 14:53

Wow that's ridiculous I'm sure you learnt a great lesson from that listen to the elevator music with copa air or else... nothing for 2 weeks.. LOL but i would suggest a new carrier because if you actually put in another complaint it may take a year to be answered this time.

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