I'm a 737NG captain set to retire this January and feel lucky to have an interview lined up with COPA next month. If anyone has any useful information about that airline it sure would be appreciated if they could pass it on. How about what to expect during the interview? And what's it like living in Panama City? I went to Belk's today and bought a new, dark blue suit. The girl who sold it to me was friendly so I asked her where she was from and she said, "Panama." I was speechless so she continued "you know, right next to Costa Rica." "Um, where the canal zone is???" For a second I thought Rod Serling was going pop up right behind the counter. Don't know it that was a good omen or a bad one. Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone who has time to write in.

 

I was down in Panama in 2001-2002 flying as a training captain for Aeroperlas. A number of the guy's I trained are now with COPA as FO's. They are all great guy's and quite easy to get along with.

Panama itself is fantastic. My wife, also a pilot, and myself looked at moveing down there but unfortunately did not. . .long story.

The city is coming along really well as a modern metropolis. It's a bit like a central American Dubai, but everybody speaks Spanish. The lifestyle is great, fantastic restaurants and bars; Casca Viejo and the area around the French embassy are a gas. The beaches are great and the people are friendly. You'll get along easily but let me know if you want an introduction and I'll forward the email address of a very good friend of mine, Columbian, who is an FO there. It helps if you speak Spanish though. He might have some insight into the interview process as well.

Good luck with it mate, you're going to love it.

 

I've never heard anything but great thing about living down there. I only hear it is the next place to go in Central America, if you know what I mean.

How did you hear about the job?

 

Panama is hot...but Costa Rica is hotter due to it's women!!!

 

ps> do you have a specific pref for Panama? Didn't know if you hit 60 or something.

If age 60 is why your retiring, SpiceJet, Air India/Indian/Air India Express, and Jet seem to be hiring NG captains up to age 65 via contract agencies. Pretty sure all of them offer good commuting options (esp AI and Jet since they've got int'l ops). I've also seen a few awesome-looking BBJ jobs out there for people with your experience level. Not sure what you're lookin for.

 

How did you hear about the job?

AGE60.com

 

Thanks for the info, nicholasblonde. I'd certainly be interested in BBJ jobs if I knew where they were. I like COPA because I think Panama would be a great fit for me. But if I don't get on, however, I'm still going to need a paycheck starting this January (age 60). Thanks again to everyone who's writing in.

 

AT,

I've spent a good deal of time on mil deployments in Panama, flying all over C and S America; what you're reading from everyone is spot on. It's a great place to be.

The cost of living is still relatively cheap, though rising fast, and the food is amazing. The tropical climate makes for interesting flying around 1pm every day, but the countryside is beautiful. It's also got great topography, with beaches, rainforests, jungles, and mountains, all within two hours of Panama City. I won't even mention the bordering countries, but they're also lovely.

As with any small Latin American nation, poverty is there. Nothing as startling as India or Bangladesh, but poor nonetheless. Thus, there are some places you won't want to drive through. When last I was there, we selected restaurants based on the number of armed guards they could afford...

All in all, a wonderful experience. Friendly people, great food, good weather, and less expensive than the U.S., Europe, or SE Asia. Best of luck, let us know how it turns out! Feel free to PM if you've got other questions.

Cheers,

V

 

Lineholder I used to work for TACA in CA and I know that both TACA an COPA pilots are leaving to INDIA. Spicejet in India hires 737 pilots and the chief pilot is American, SWA retired, Indigo '(A320) hires pilots non-rated, 3 YEAR CONTRACT.
Air India express hires 737 Cap. and most of them come from COPA
Best jet320

 

I agreed


6 months ago, I was in Costa Rica. I drove down to Panama, beautiful city by the way. Stayed there 3 days, and out of the 3 days twice we didnt have electricity for a few hours and one day we didnt have running water for around 10 hours. So its very common to have power outages down in central america. I was in Costa Rica for 2 weeks in Jaco, Montezuma, Guanacaste, and San Jose and they were also power outages every 2-3 days for a few hours mostly in the late afternoon.