Copa Airlines Panama Stopover: Up to 15 Free Days in Panama (New 2026 Rules)
Rules on this page last verified 2026-07-09. Airlines change things; we re-check and date it.
Flying between the US and South America on Copa means connecting in Panama City anyway. In 2026 Copa expanded its stopover program: you can now stay in Panama up to 15 days (it was 7) without paying a cent more in airfare. Two oceans, a canal, coffee highlands and Caribbean islands, inserted into a trip you were taking regardless.
The short version
| What you get | Up to 15 days in Panama City, no extra airfare |
|---|---|
| Stay options in the booking tool | 3, 5, 7, or 15 days |
| Routes | Any Copa itinerary connecting through Tocumen (PTY), including US to South/Central America |
| The one hard rule | Must be requested when you originally buy the ticket, not after |
| Second stopover (both directions) | Up to US$250 + taxes extra |
| Not included | Panama entry/exit taxes (~US$50) |
How it works
Copa's entire network funnels through Panama City, which makes every north-south itinerary a stopover candidate. One free stopover per ticket, placed on the outbound or the return. It applies to all public fares, group bookings, and codeshare/interline tickets issued by Copa. Registered stopover passengers also unlock hotel, restaurant, and tour discounts through Panama's tourism board at panama-stopover.com.
Want to break the trip in both directions? That second stopover costs up to $250 plus taxes and must also be arranged before ticket issuance.
How to book it, step by step
- Search your route on copaair.com using the multi-city/stopover option in the booking engine.
- Choose your Panama stay: 3, 5, 7, or 15 days.
- Complete the purchase with the stopover already in the itinerary. This is the whole game: at purchase, not after.
- Register at panama-stopover.com for the partner discounts.
What's free and what's not
Free: the airfare difference (there is none). Not free: Panama's entry/departure taxes of roughly $50 (tax codes FZ/AH/F3), your hotel, and rechecking fees if your bags need it. "No additional airfare" is not "no additional cost", and the difference is about fifty bucks.
Where people screw this up
- Trying to add it after buying. The #1 mistake. Post-purchase changes run through standard fare-change penalties, which usually erase the value.
- Trusting old blog posts. Anything written before mid-2026 says 7 days. The cap is now 15.
- Assuming taxes are included. They are not. Budget ~$50.
FAQ
Does it work on one-way tickets? The program is built around itineraries connecting through PTY; the terms cover public fares broadly. Confirm the stopover option appears in your specific search before buying.
Is Panama worth a week? Casco Viejo and the Canal fill two days. Bocas del Toro, Boquete, and the San Blas islands are why the 15-day cap exists.
How popular is this? Copa and Panama's tourism board are targeting 250,000 stopover visitors in 2026. It is a strategy, not a loophole they forgot to close, which is exactly why it is reliable.