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The View

Finding the questions you haven't asked…

Questions no single system can answer — sorted by impact. Each connects domains across the airline.

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Cost
Risk
Readiness

Priority posture · v1

Baseline

AdjustPitch layout

Slack capacity · paid-but-unflown

Flying you've already paid for

Pilots · PBNF (UNPAC Cl. 3.1)

1,505 crew

≈ 431 FTE

of flying already paid for — pilots below the 66h guarantee. 28,468h/mo at $0 marginal cost.

Above 66h is variable pay ( $103.31/h CPT, $45.20/h FO) — cheaper than hiring, not free. (Flying everyone to the 100h FAR-117 cap would be 1,164 FTE — a ceiling, not a plan.)

▼ avg 49.0h
40h66h guarantee100h FAR cap

Shifting an over-guarantee captain's hour onto an under-guarantee captain saves $103.

Avg utilization

49.0h

per pilot · 2026-06

Under guarantee

77%

of 1,505 pilots below the 66h floor

Recapture (free)

28,468h/mo

already paid below the 66h guarantee

Pilot variable pay

$206,412/mo

paid above guarantee — the rebalancing target

Recapture is flying already covered by the fixed prima+viático (UNPAC Cl. 3.1) — $0 marginal.

Flight attendants · SIPANAB

2,743 crew

≈ 312 FTE

of flying already paid for — cabin crew below the 66h guarantee. 20,616h/mo at $0 marginal cost.

Above 66h is block pay at rank rates — cheaper than hiring, not free. (Flying everyone to the 100h FAR-117 cap would be 1,347 FTE — a ceiling, not a plan.)

▼ avg 67.6h
40h66h guarantee100h FAR cap

Shifting an over-guarantee purser's hour onto an under-guarantee FA saves an estimated $28/h.

Avg utilization

67.6h

per cabin crew member · 2026-06

Under guarantee

46%

of 2,743 cabin crew below the 66h floor

Recapture (free)

20,616h/mo

already paid below the 66h guarantee

Cabin variable pay

$546,170/mo

paid above guarantee — estimated block rates

Recapture is flying already covered by the monthly guarantee (SIPANAB) — $0 marginal.

Employees

8,618

8,131 active · 279 in training

Fleet

163

5 types

Agents

142

~57 FTE / ~$5.40M yr

Hubs

1

97 airports tracked

Fleet × Crew · Copa Airlines

Today

Aircraft typeTailsCaptainsFirst officersPursersFlight attendants
737NG
737-800 ×70
70
730
/ 350
694
/ 350
621
/ 350
1,974
/ 1,050
737 MAX
737 MAX 9 ×33 · 737 MAX 8 ×20
53
730
/ 265
696
/ 265
622
/ 265
1,974
/ 960
737 Freighter
737-800BCF ×2
2
10
/ 8
11
/ 8
0
/ 0
0
/ 0
737
737 ×38
38
0
/ 190
0
/ 190
0
/ 190
0
/ 570
Total163774 / 813768 / 813657 / 8052,086 / 2,580
Covered (≥1.05×)Tight (0.98–1.05×)Short (<0.98×)qualified / needed · per-row = distinct crew holding that type rating (a 737NG rating covers the -700 & -800; a 737 MAX rating covers the MAX 8 & 9), against that family's fleet-wide demand; Total = distinct active crew across all ratings
Fleet availability · Copa Airlines

In service today

92.8% available
In service
116
Scheduled mx
7
AOG
2
Out of service
9
~9 of 125 tails out on a normal day (scheduled checks + AOG) — industry availability ≈ 93% for a well-run 737 fleet.
Crew base

Hub base profile

PTYPanama CityPrimary hub
Crew based here
4,285
Routes flown
180
Stations served
97
Captains
774
First officers
768
Pursers
657
Flight attendants
2,086
Single-hub carrier — every crew member is based at PTY; the whole network fans out from one hub.
18 domains · 142 agents

Agent × Domain

DomainAgentsFTE eq.$/yr
Crew Operations3714.8$1406k
Network Planning145.6$532k
Revenue Management135.2$494k
Customer Support104.0$380k
SkyHub93.6$342k
Maintenance72.8$266k
Flight Operations62.4$228k
Loyalty62.4$228k
Safety & Compliance52.0$190k
Ground Handling52.0$190k
Fuel Management41.6$152k
Cargo41.6$152k
Crew Training41.6$152k
Departure Control41.6$152k
Distribution41.6$152k
Financial Settlement41.6$152k
Schedule Planning31.2$114k
Airport Operations31.2$114k
Base-siting analysis

Should we open a new base?

Hub PTY (PA) · window 2026-07-12 → 2026-08-08 · 2/28 active flying days. Each new base obligates its own $467,807/mo reserve floor (45 CA + 45 FO, UNPAC Cl. 6.3) that cannot cross-cover PTY.
BOGBogotaCO · foreignDon't open
Origin dep/day
0
0% of network
Gross savings
$0/mo
hotel $0 · dh $0
Reserve floor
$467,807/mo
mandated at new base
Nationality fit
518
12.1% hold CO
only 0.0 departures/day originate at BOG (needs ≥20 to sustain a base) — crew would spend the base positioning in/out; 518 crew (12.1%) already hold CO nationality — cheap to base at BOG (home country, no visa/expat housing).
MIAMiamiUS · foreignDon't open
Origin dep/day
0
0% of network
Gross savings
$0/mo
hotel $0 · dh $0
Reserve floor
$467,807/mo
mandated at new base
Nationality fit
46
1.1% hold US
only 0.0 departures/day originate at MIA (needs ≥20 to sustain a base) — crew would spend the base positioning in/out; few crew hold US nationality (46, 1.1%) — basing at foreign MIA needs work visas + expat housing, raising real hotel/relocation cost.
MDEMedellinCO · foreignDon't open
Origin dep/day
0
0% of network
Gross savings
$0/mo
hotel $0 · dh $0
Reserve floor
$467,807/mo
mandated at new base
Nationality fit
518
12.1% hold CO
only 0.0 departures/day originate at MDE (needs ≥20 to sustain a base) — crew would spend the base positioning in/out; 518 crew (12.1%) already hold CO nationality — cheap to base at MDE (home country, no visa/expat housing).
Schedule coverage is partial: 2 of 28 days in the window carry seeded flying — rates are per active day and scaled to a 30-day month. Deadhead cost is a placeholder pending calibration.
106 routes · 4 variants

Route-range × Variant capability

Distance bandRoutesBoeing 737 MAX -8Boeing 737 MAX -9Boeing 737 -800Boeing 737-800BCF Freighter
Short (<1000 nm)
156–990 nm
50✓ 20✓ 33✓ 70✓ 2
Medium (1000–2000 nm)
1000–1990 nm
26✓ 20✓ 33✓ 70✓ 2
Long (2000–3000 nm)
2060–2900 nm
26✓ 20✓ 33✓ 70—
Ultra (3000+ nm)
3100–3210 nm
4✓ 20✓ 33✓ 70—
✓ = variant range covers the band (tail count shown). Range from the aircraft-type catalog; bands computed from active route distances.
15 departments

Workforce shape

Active8,131 · 94.3%
In training279 · 3.2%
On leave208 · 2.4%
1 hubs · 97 airports

Network glance

Open network map →
PTY
Stations
97
Hub
PTY
Panama City
Furthest
3.4k mi
MVD