Will Panama Be A New Destination For Air Canada?

When I first read the press release, I couldn’t help but let out a loud “Yahoooooo!!” A new air transportation agreement has been reached between Panama and Canada. Panama has increasingly become a popular choice for Canadians, whether they chose to live in Panama or vacation here.

The agreement intends to put in place a new and modern framework for flights between the two countries. There will be flexibility for establishing fares as well as strong safety and security measures. Does this mean more hassle when traveling between the two countries, or is this the general “our flights will be safe” hyperbole?

Canada’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister David Emerson, mentioned as part of the announcement that Canada values its ties with Panama and this agreement will “facilitate trade, investment and tourism”. Well that’s an understatement!

I have been flying between Canada and Panama for 4 years. Currently the only direct flight from Panama to Toronto (and vice versa) is through the charter airline AirTransat. I have flown this airline a couple of times, and though it’s okay, charters are notorious for lacking in the leg room department. The other downside of flying a charter is being stuck on a plane with 250 tourists going to the Decameron and looking to get drunk. I can’t knock that mindset too much, as I was once (okay, maybe twice) one of those “crazy Canucks” heading to the Decameron for a mid winter escape. However, after flying between the two countries more times than I can count, the old “where’s the party” mentality gets old after a while. Even if you can put up with all of these inconveniences, this flight only takes to the skies once a week. That makes vacation planning a little more difficult.

The only other options we Canadians have now is to fly a US carrier to somewhere in the states and then connect to Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal. Though not the end of the world, adding connections can be extremely tedious. A few times now I have made 3 connections just to get from PTY to YYZ (Toronto). The direct flight is just 5 hours (less time than it takes to get from one Canadian coast to the other), but with connections you are forced to spend pretty much an entire day between airplanes and airport bars.

Panama and Canada have recently been discussing a possible trade agreement. More flights can only increase the already 115-million dollar annual trade dealings between the two. More flights would hopefully also lead to more competitive fares between the airlines already servicing the land of Wayne Gretzky and the home of abundant fish.

As soon as Copa starts offering a direct flight to Toronto, I’ll have my bags packed and ticket in hand (unless of course, it’s the dead of winter).

If more airlines offered convenient flights between Canada and Panama, would that effect your travel/business/investment plans?

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Filed under: News on June 20th, 2008