What’s the definition of “luxury” when you’ve been traveling for 8, 12, 16 hours already and you’re facing a long layover at an airport? Your hierarchy of needs probably has a whole different list of items than it will when you’ve finally gotten to where you’re going. The Copa Club Lounge at the Panama City airport is going to seem like heaven.
The first time I went to a Copa Club Lounge in the Panama City Airport, I had been on the move since the afternoon before and had arrived on an overnight flight. So there was one amenity here that really got me excited: a hot shower. You tell the front desk you want to use the men’s or women’s shower and they open it up for you.
Once inside, you’ve got a space to yourself that’s like a hotel room bathroom, with a toilet, sink, and shower filled with toiletries. I went in feeling like a sweaty unshaven bum. I came out feeling like a man ready to take on the world. Then I got a good breakfast and some coffee and sat in a comfortable space with charging outlets.
How much would that be worth to you?
Copa Airlines is our top choice for most flights in the Americas, partly because of the airline itself, partly because of the Star Alliance affiliation, and also the convenient hub location in Panama City. If you’re flying to South America, a stop in Panama breaks the trip up nicely and they have a stopover program if you want to add on another destination.
If you’re flying business class on Copa Airlines, have Gold status with them or via a Star Alliance partner, or already have access to United Club lounges through a premium credit card, it won’t cost you anything. I was fortunate enough to be traveling with a guest who had high Star Alliance status on my most recent visit, so I was able to enter with him as a companion. See the full list of who is qualified to enter here.
If they’re not full, this is now part of the Priority Pass program, along with the other Copa lounge in a different terminal. The Copa Lounge in Terminal 2 holds 420 people, so you usually won’t get turned away. If all else fails though, there are two more options in the two terminals through Priority Pass: The Lounge Panama and Tocumen Royal Saloon.
The Newer Copa Lounge in Terminal 2
Earlier this decade, a new terminal opened in Panama City and it’s a big improvement. The terminal doesn’t feel like two parallel hallways of duty-free shops and nothing else. It has a lot more natural light and high ceilings, with better places to eat. Perhaps the biggest improvement though is a Copa Club Lounge that’s almost twice as large as the old one.
Once you’re in, you get a place to relax, fast Wi-Fi, and snacks. There’s an actual bar to sit at and lounge chairs where you can look out at the runways. There are magazines to read, computers to use, and a rather sparse family room that seems mainly designed to keep the smallest ones out of the hair of business travelers. There are shower facilities here if you need to refresh and lockable storage lockers if you don’t want to carry your suitcase around, along with open shelves.
As you can see from the photo at the top, it’s quite spacious and none of it feels cramped. It has really taken the experience of waiting for your outbound flight up several notches.
This is now Copa’s largest lounge, with more than 20,000 square feet and a capacity of around 420 people. Whether that seems like enough or not depends on when you arrive. When I was there in the morning the place was half full. But other international visitors have reported that the lounge was packed to capacity when they visited, with difficulty finding an empty chair anywhere.
The food and drink are just so-so. I was expecting more from a new lounge like this that’s catering to business class travelers, but like Panamanian cuisine itself, it was uninspiring overall. Typical local beer, typical local food, and not much of a selection.
It felt like the old United lounges in Houston before they started getting more generous. But maybe there’s some good rum at the bar if you’re into that; it was too early and I didn’t check. All I saw were coffee machines, soda machines, cheap tea, and water.
They spent most of their money on the decor and furniture it seems, with the beautiful space filled with nice leather furniture and real plants. Some areas are meant for relaxing and socializing, while others have outlets at every seat for plugging in a laptop or recharging the phone/tablet. There’s a “Quiet Room” with extended lounge chairs if you need to nap and four private office spaces if you need to do video calls.
Overall this is a great retreat to relax in, provided you’re not a foodie expecting “flagship lounge” cuisine like you would get in the Middle East, Asia, or Europe. Since even Terminal 2 in Tocumen Airport is better for shopping than anything else, this is a nice retreat from the unrelenting consumerism.
The Original Terminal 1 Copa Lounge in Panama
When I first visited the Copa Lounge at Panama City’s airport, it was the only one. A few years ago they opened up the brighter and newer second terminal profiled above and most of the international flights are now going in and out of there. If you have a flight from Terminal 1 though, domestic or nearby, you will be checking into the T1 Copa lounge instead.
Terminal 1 of this airport is more like an outlet mall than an international travelers’ hub. Once you’ve explored the limited options in the fast food court and looked at the same five duty free shops that keep appearing in different parts of the terminal, there’s not much that’s going to hold your interest. You might as well hit the lounge and get some work done or read a book in comfort.
This older one will feel familiar if you’ve spent time in the lounges of United, their sister airline. Wen I was there this Copa Club lounge even had the same wasteful piles of plastic from shrink-wrapped processed cheese and little individual cracker packets. I’m hoping they’ve at least gotten more environmentally conscious since then, though the food in the newer lounge doesn’t make me think the dining options are going to be any better here.
See more on all the Copa Club airline lounges here, including ones in Colombia, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Business class flights are often available without a massive premium, so check rates before traveling at the Copa website. Or on Skyscanner. With a business class ticket you’re all set for the lounge. If none of those are an option, buy your way in with a Priority Pass membership.
This post about the Copa Club lounges in Panama City, in terminals 1 and 2, was updated in 2025.
