Copa Airlines Goes 3-Class on New 737 MAX 9s, Featuring Lie-Flat Business Seats
Panamanian carrier Copa Airlines officially revealed the layout of its first Boeing 737 MAX 9 Tuesday, introducing 166 seats in an updated there-cabin design: Business, Economy Extra and economy.
The first new aircraft, now registered as HP-9901CMP, is one of 71 total MAX aircraft ordered from Boeing in April 2015, and was delivered from Boeing Field to Panama City on August 31. Copa will take delivery of four more MAX 9s before the end of 2018, with eight more anticipated in 2019 and nine in 2020.
The newly unveiled Executive Business Class Dreams cabin features 16 lie-flat seats in a 2-2 configuration. Each offers 16-inch touchscreen IFE screens with remote control, power and USB connectors. On select routes, business passengers will receive premium amenity kits, which include noise-cancelling headphones, eye mask and socks. Business passengers also receive upsized pillows and blankets.
Economy Extra offers 24 seats in a 3-3 configuration, each with 34 inches of pitch. Each seat has 10-inch touchscreens, USB input and two AC outputs per three-seat row. Economy Extra passengers also receive priority boarding privileges.
Economy class has been updated as well, with newly redesigned seats by B/E Aerospace, which feature individual USB ports and storage space for mobile devices.
Overhead compartments throughout the plane offer 50% more storage space than their predecessors.
On Tuesday, Copa also announced the MAX 9's new destinations, seven of which are in the US. This week, the 737 MAX 9 will fly to Tampa (TPA), Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX).
Flight CM393, the first revenue flight, will depart from Panama City (PTY) at 9:05am for Tampa (TPA), arriving at 1:30pm on September 20, returning as CM394 from Tampa at 3:24pm and arriving at Panama City at 5:48pm.
The MAX 9 will begin flying to Orlando and New York in November, and will begin routes between Boston and Las Vegas before the end of 2018.
The MAX 9 features a number of environmentally friendly design updates: upgraded aerodynamic winglets at the tip of each wing improve efficiency enough to help reduce fuel consumption by 14% and decrease polluting gas emissions by 50%, compared to Copa's existing Boeing 737-800s. In addition, the MAX 9's engines operate 40% more quietly than their counterparts, giving passengers a more peaceful in-flight experience.
All images courtesy of Copa Airlines.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month