Copa Club in Terminal 2 at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport [Review]

Copa Airlines operates 2 lounges in Panama City, Panama, both called Copa Club. I’ve visited the lounge in Terminal 1 numerous times, but this was my first time in the Copa Club in Terminal 2.

In summary, it’s far superior to the lounge in Terminal 1. While many of the amenities are similar, the lounge is more spacious, more modern, and offers more food. That said, the lounge gets very crowded, and the food and drink offerings aren’t impressive by a long shot.

During a 5-hour layover in Panama City, I had a lot of time to peruse the lounge, and here’s what I found.

Copa Club Location

The Copa Club in Terminal 2 is near gate 208 and is open from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

The lounge is upstairs, accessible by elevator or escalator.

Terminals 1 and 2 at Tocumen International Airport (PTY) are connected airside, so it’s possible to visit this lounge regardless of your departure gate. There’s also a smaller Copa Club in Terminal 1 near gate 130.

For those connecting in Panama City, make your way to gate 208 to find the lounge’s entrance. Those departing from Panama City will find escalators and elevators leading to the lounge on their left after clearing security.

Gaining Entry to the Copa Club

There are multiple ways to gain entry to the Copa Club lounge, and the same rules apply to both locations.

Firstly, those with elite status in Copa’s ConnectMiles program have access at the Gold, Platinum, and Presidential tiers when departing on a Copa flight. Gold members can bring a guest, while Platinum and Presidential members can bring either 1 guest or their immediate family members (including children under 18).

Those with Star Alliance Gold status from another airline, such as United or Lufthansa, can visit the lounge and bring 1 guest. The same applies to those flying internationally in first class with a Star Alliance airline. Business class passengers on Star Alliance airlines can visit the lounge, but can’t bring any guests. Moreover, United Club members flying with Star Alliance airlines can enter and bring 1 guest.

Copa Clubs in Panama allow additional guests beyond the lounge policies in other countries. Those with Flying Blue elite status or flying in business class with Air France and KLM can enter, and Club Iberia Plus elites can enter when flying with Iberia.

Copa Clubs in Panama, Bogota, Guatemala, and Santo Domingo accept Priority Pass and LoungeKey members up to 5 hours before departure with no limits on the number of guests they can bring (though their memberships may have limits). The Panama, Bogota, Guatemala, and Santo Domingo Copa Clubs also welcome Diners Club and Lounge Pass cardholders up to 5 hours before departure.

If none of these apply to you, single-entry passes are available, starting at $35 per person. No guest privileges are included other than children under 2 accompanying parents or guardians. Single-entry passes are available for Copa Airlines passengers only, and only within 4 hours of departure.

Hot Tip:

Check out our list of the best credit cards that provide lounge access benefits to help you access this or another lounge for a comfortable start to your next trip.

First Impressions

“Wow, this is way nicer than the other lounge in Terminal 1.”

There’s no reason to pretend that’s untrue, and there’s no reason to pretend that wasn’t my first thought.

I’ve visited the Copa Club in Terminal 1 close to 10 times, and I’ve always found it mediocre. This location in Terminal 2 was brighter, larger, and had more food, beverages, and amenities — likely thanks to being much newer. Terminal 2 only opened in the second half of 2022.

I also really liked the fact that the lounge had separate entry lanes for Copa elites and business class passengers (to the right) and those entering through any other method (left line). Since checking in Copa’s premium passengers is simpler, I appreciated how efficient this line was and the fact that I didn’t have to wait behind other guests who might take a while to check in.

While my first impression was extremely positive, it didn’t prevent me from seeing room for improvement in this lounge, which I’ll discuss below.

Seating

The lounge offered various seating areas in different styles. The first area, to the left after entering, had rows of seats facing each other. For convenience, end tables were placed between some of the seats, and swivel chairs near the windows were separated by small, round tables.

On the terrace overlooking the concourse below, pairs of chairs separated by tables were available.

A central area inside the lounge, near the main bar, had rust-colored leather armchairs in pairs and small groups.

Plus, there were tall chairs available at both bars in the lounge.

It was also great to find outlets near all the various seats, including pairs of 3-prong, U.S.-style outlets and a pair of USB-A outlets on the tables between chairs. These tables also had marble tops to hold drinks and plates.

Food and Beverages

Buffet

Given the size of this lounge, the amount of food offered was surprisingly little. The lounge covers 20,720 square feet (1,925 square meters) and can hold 420 people, but the buffet felt like it was made for 50 people.

There weren’t any allergen or ingredient signs. The only item available for vegans was melon, so that was disappointing.

That said, there were signs with the name of each dish in English and Spanish.

The small buffet had a pair of desserts at one end, next to the silverware and plates.

There were 3 cold dishes available, including a chickpea salad, artichoke dip, and a potato salad with mayonnaise.

The buffet also offered baskets of chips at all times, plus breads, pretzels, and cereal during breakfast hours, though this disappeared when the buffet changed to lunch during my visit.

Seating near the buffet included a restaurant-style setup with chairs flanking tables and several stools at a high-top counter along the wall, which was popular with those who wanted to eat and work at the same time.

Bottom Line:

While this wasn’t much of a food spread for a lounge holding 400 or more people, it’s actually significantly more than what the Copa Club in Terminal 1 provides.

Bars

The lounge had 2 bars, though only 1 was operating during my visit. The main bar faced the center of the lounge and offered a full range of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Outlets were available near the high-top chairs.

The terrace bar wasn’t operating; it was merely the back side of the interior bar. Bartenders could move between the 2 sides of the bar easily, though I’m not sure why it was neither open nor stocked.

Drink Stations

The lounge had 4 different drink stations, though most of them had some sort of issue, whether that was something broken or items being out of stock.

There were soft drink machines at each station, which also had iced tea. However, there weren’t any refrigerators with bottled water or cans of soda in the lounge.

There were also coffee machines at the drink stations. Milk and almond milk were available during breakfast hours, but you had to ask for them once the lounge changed to a lunch setup.

Each drink station also had ice and packets of sugar for coffee.

Amenities

The Copa Club in Terminal 2 offered multiple amenities, and directional signage made it easy to find them.

Kids Room

The lounge had a kids room behind glass doors, meaning parents could sit outside away from the noise while keeping an eye on their little ones. Inside were several seats, tables, and a TV showing children’s programming.

Showers

The lounge had several showers, and you could reserve these by speaking to employees at the front desk.

However, not everyone could use the showers. They were only available for Copa ConnectMiles Platinum or Presidential elites or for those who connected from or were departing on a flight of 4 1/2 hours or more. In either case, the time slot for using the shower was only 20 minutes.

Each of the 6 shower suites had a walk-in shower, toilet, and a sink.

Bathrooms

The lounge had gendered restrooms, as well as a room with a changing table between them.

The restrooms were large, bright, and mostly clean.

There were also multiple sinks and mirrors available, and, given the number of people in the lounge at the time I left, the staff kept the restrooms as organized as possible.

TV Room

There was a large TV room with comfy leather seats in a theater-style setup. The screen showed 4 different programs simultaneously.

Between the dozen chairs here, there were controls and outlets for charging, but this area also proved popular for those who wanted to sleep.

Luggage Storage

Several lockers and dozens of cubbies were available to store luggage. Use of this room was complimentary, though it wasn’t attended, and the staff made it clear they weren’t responsible for any items left here.

Quiet Room

The rear of the lounge also had a quiet room behind frosted glass doors and several chairs in the hallway nearby. The chairs in this room didn’t move up and down but stayed in a fixed reclined position.

Given the odd hours for some of Copa’s international departures and arrivals, this room was popular — and full.

Departures Boards

Departure boards with flight information were near the help desk as soon as I entered the lounge.

Business Center

The small but well-lit business center had over a dozen cubicles, each with its own rolling chair and outlets. These were ideal for those who wanted a distraction-free place to focus on work.

Several private booths with closing doors were also available on a first-come, first-served basis. The business center event had a desktop computer and a printer.

Wi-Fi

Once it started working, the internet was superfast. However, the internet didn’t work for the first 2 hours of my 4-hour visit to the lounge. That’s pretty bad.

I was able to use the airport’s free Wi-Fi channel for only 1 hour, though the signal strength in the lounge wasn’t very good, and I couldn’t rejoin that network without paying for further use.

Download speeds on the lounge’s private Wi-Fi network were nearly 160 Mbps, which is excellent.

Service

Staff members were very efficient at check-in but didn’t provide anything beyond a casual greeting while checking my boarding pass.

Efficiency was also the name of the game in the dining area, as staff patrolled the room to clear dirty dishes and wipe down tables so arriving guests could use them. With the number of people who arrived and departed in the lounge during the several hours I was there, staff did well to give passengers clean places to sit or eat.

Staff also worked to keep up with the foot traffic in the bathrooms, restocking paper towels and keeping them more clean than not.

However, the employees didn’t greet passengers at all, merely asking, “Can I take this plate away?” while clearing dirty dishes. Additionally, when I got coffee later during my visit, I noticed that the almond milk had disappeared. I asked an employee for some, and she said she would bring it to my seat. I never saw that employee again, and I never got the almond milk.

Though I didn’t interact with them, the bartenders did seem friendly and efficient while performing their duties.

Final Thoughts

The Copa Club in Terminal 2 in Panama City is bigger and better than the lounge in Terminal 1. While it’s not among the best airport lounges I’ve visited — not by a long shot — it’s modern and spacious and has ample comfortable seating.

The staff could improve to the point where they’d be considered friendly, and the food offerings could be more abundant. Additionally, actually following through on promises and repairing the problems with the drink machines would improve this lounge for travelers.