I may be misunderstanding Copa Airlines' Free Stopover in Panama program, but after comparing prices, the promotion feels a bit misleading.
I priced out two itineraries using the exact same flights and generated the quotes at the same time. The only difference was that one booking included the Panama stopover while the other did not. To my surprise, the stopover option cost about $187 more, which is significantly higher than the roughly $50 in additional taxes and fees mentioned in the terms and conditions.
The promotion advertises things like:
"Add a stop in Panama at no additional cost to your airfare."
"Discover two destinations for the price of one."
Based on that language, I assumed the stopover would simply extend the layover without changing the underlying airfare, aside from any applicable taxes.
I contacted Copa for clarification, and the explanation I received was essentially that pricing depends on the fare available on the travel dates involved. That response left me even more confused because it seems to undermine the idea of a "free" stopover. If the fare increases substantially once the stopover is added, is the stopover really free?
Am I missing something about how this program is intended to work? Is the actual benefit just access to stopover itineraries that might otherwise not be available, rather than a guaranteed price match with the nonstop itinerary?
For those who have used Copa's Panama stopover program before, did you actually save money or get the advertised "two destinations for the price of one" experience?
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