Copa Airlines To Denver Means More Nonstop Options For Travelers

It's about to get easier to fly from Denver to locations in Central and South America. Copa Airlines will be flying in and out of Denver beginning in December with direct flights to it's Hub of the Americas in Panama - the only airline offering that service. From there, passengers will be able to connect to more than 55 destinations in Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

The four-times-a-week flights begin December 11.

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"New air service continues to drive economic activity and create new jobs in Denver," said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. "Copa's new service to Panama City will further strengthen Denver as a global destination for commerce, trade and culture."

The city expects the addition to create more than 200 jobs and add more than $20 million to the Colorado economy.

The airline is the second this month to announce it would flying in and out of Denver. Norwegian Air International - a low cost airline - said two weeks ago they would be adding service here.

Copa says that more than 30 people fly between Denver and Panama every day and that nearly 700 passengers travel to Central and South America. They say their service will get passengers from Denver to Panama between two and three hours faster than other airlines.

"Copa plays a significant role in the development of business and tourism throughout the Americas," said Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbron. "We expect the addition of Denver, our newest U.S. destination, to generate business and leisure travel not only between Colorado and Panama, but also to our more than 55 destinations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean."

For those looking to plan ahead, Copa says that the schedule of flights will be:

Copa flight CM 477 will depart Denver on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m., arriving at the Hub of the Americas in Panama at 6:05 a.m. the following morning. The return flight, CM 476, will depart Panama on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 11:50 a.m., arriving in Denver at 4:12 p.m. All times are local; flight time is approximately 5 ½-hours. The flight will be operated with a Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation aircraft, with seating capacity for 16 passengers in Business Class and 138 in the main cabin.

Photo courtesy Denver International Airport