COPA Airlines interviews
 

Hi, I have emailed CV and all relevent documents to Copa Airlines some 3 weeks ago and attempted to fill in the online form which does not seem to work.

Does anyone know how long it takes to get a reply from them. Do they email back or phone or is it etter to telephone them directly

IT depends. IF you dont speak any english, and have 100 hours total time they will answer you right the way. However if you have 5 type ratings, 10000 TT, they will not get back to you.

Sorry for being sarcastic, I E-mail them 50 times, called them 3 times per month for a year.... etc.

Are you applying for FO or Capt?

Jeke

Canary PM me I have some Emails that you might want to have.

Jeke

Forget the online stuff with Copa. You need to have someone walk your stuff in or get in contact with a pilot recruiter.

Google "Barbara Freeman Copa"

Good Luck, and may God have mercy on your souls.

F/O, thanks to bankrupcies and wars I never got my command

Please guys, dont waste your time and money with COPA, they are turning down NG Captains, 767 Captains native Spanish speaking from South America with a lot of experience.

You will have to go trough the Lie Detector also, I think that it so wrong for a company to do that and even think it is so ilegal as a screening technique.

Lets stop these people !!!

The lie detector is a requirement from the USA to allow COPA pilots that are not american citizens to fly into the USA.
So if you are an american citizen you do not have to take it.

I am a 737 FO 1300 TT 1k on type do you reckon I have any hope of getting in I have heard of zero europeans getting interviews...?

Oh and whats the deal with the lie detector...?

Why I dont recomend COPA
 

I worked for COPA from October of 2011 to June of 2012. I had enough of their operation, it was a big mistake to go there. It is my opinion that COPA is a very unsafe operation.

The Panamanian’s will treat you ok while you are within an earshot, but they hate gringos and will do everything in their power to screw you over. Their standards are very low. The Panamanian Pilot totally lack basic aviation knowledge such performance calculation, fuel planning, weather planning, the importance of knowing their own Manuals and Ops Specs. During my time at Copa I saw Panamanian Captain's disregard airspace limitation, controller instruction, fuel andperformance limitation. COPA is an accident waiting to happen.

The training is substandard and cheating on tests is openly encouraged. One of the requirements is a written demonstration that you read, understandand speak Spanish, you will take a regulations test in Spanish, COPA will send a translator with you during the test and she will actually do the test for you.

During the training you will be required to take a Medical and Psychological tests. You are required to pay for each test yourself, COPA will reimburse a small portion. You are required to pay for your own uniform, including epaulets and wings, this will cost you around $450.

During IOE/OEwhich is min 100 hours you will have 3 line checks, you must pass every one or face termination. I heard of pilots that failed their IOE for not turning on the lights at 18000 ft. MSL exactly, according to their statements they were off with 200 ft.

The Panamanian’s are in general very rude and lack common courteousy. This is just how they are; very disrespectful to others, you will notice this the first time you take a taxi in Panama. This is strictly due to their poor education, they just don’t know better and lack common sense, their flying abilities are a direct reflection of their behavior.

There has been several close calls, however COPA has been very lucky so far, a Spanish First Officer and a Panamanian Captain got into a physical altercation on final approach at the time the airport closed down, the Captain wanted to landregardless, the airspeed was bleeding down to 93 kts, before the First Officer took over the controls and saved the situation. This was swept under the carpet by the Dir Ops and Chief Pilot. This is just part of their daily occurrences.

How did you get in ha??? I need the hours man i would put up with that for a year or so pathetic I know but I am desperate

Boeing are you actually working for somebody? hows your spanish? Capt FO?

For F/O's it will take you a year to finish training, sometimes longer, and you will only fly 50 to 70 hrs per month...

Copa Airlines
 

Hello Peter

Since you left the company,do you have any info from inside what is the situation relating to captain's,I mean, are there any others leaving the company or Copa still recruiting more or atleast looking for?

COPA are recruiting, there are some Comair guys that just got hired. You need inside recomendations now.

FYI....

Barbara Freeman no longer involved with COPA pilot hiring. From her email yesterday.

:ugh:Disaster strikes again ! I have emailed job applications to Copa airlines twice, to two different email addresses.

I have telephoned the HR office at COPA Airlines 3 times before finally speaking to someone and have been told that they dont accept job applications for First Officers by email.

Finally got the online application form to work after 5 attempts failed.

Have been informed by a friend that responses take betwwen 3 weeks and 4 months.

In order to try to speed things up I was just 10 seconds away from phoning Barbara Freeman to try to establish who to contact or how to get noticed by recruiters, now she no longer works there.

does anyone know a contact who can help ????:ugh:

Flyingsaucer,
First time I hear that non-US Citizens need to pass a Lie Detector test to fly to US.
Do you know if it is just for COPA? because I know for sure at least 3 major Airlines in South America are not required.

It is also obvious to me that the dont hire experienced NG Captains because they wont stick around even if they speak native Spanish. They prefer to go with Comair RJ Captains.
My question is why they even bother calling NG Captains for interviews.

It is also obvious to me they dont care about having a high Pilot turn and overspending on training.
:D

Bukkake
 

Bwahahahahaha. Why would you give a baby hot sauce when he isnt a mexican? And petoria, you are 100 percent right! I didnt agree with how you tried to **** over your instructor who is probably the best thing COPA has, and from what i heard did everything he could just to get you through the sim when you were losing 3 to 500 feet in steep turns from two witnesses. Absolutely not cool and god bless that man for he is an angel. but you just cant **** on a clean floor when you have a whole functional toilet next to you. leave that to the putas in habanos. but you are frekkin absolutely correct about everything else... applaud. hey, perhaps this is new aviation or its latin american culture. i dont know which but perhaps its about time for a career change? if this is what my beautiful career is turning into, i will gladly go home and fly for fun. and those applying, if you dont hear anything just give it up. i recommended two people with more qualification than me, and very capable pilots who never got an interview. walked that **** in myself and handed letters in. there is no rhyme or reason here, everything is just completely random like it is in most airlines. if you dont hear anything from copa, than give up, go home, and look for another job. best advice i can give you. lots of companies hiring its not the end of the world.

Copa Recruitment.
 

I can only speak as to my personal experience. I sent my stuff for direct entry captain via the internet. They emailed me about 6 weeks later. I don't speak spanish and have no inside recommendations. Was successful on the interview and start class in a couple weeks. If you are a US citizen, you do not have to take the polygraph. They can obtain what they are looking for from the FBI background check. Good luck.

Liftmaster,
Good luck to you.
In what type is your Captain experience on?

Experience
 

All of my PIC time is in the CRJ200.

Is the new salary in place? :ooh:

Or just 4000 us for a cpt?

I am thinking in applying as i am a 737ng cpt. I know copa has lots of issues but my country and company has more problems than copa and panama.

COPA
 

I can help you with the contacts inside the company. I have emails and numbers for recruitment of captains. Unfortunately for me they are not hiring FO's:(

Copa Airlines
 

ElJeke

Could you PM any contact inside the company?
Any help most appreciated.
Thanks

COPA
 

I have heard that they will be recruiting F/Os in October once they have finished with the current intake of captains.

7Q OFF,

If you are an NG Captain, they wont take you, you'll waiste your time, they just take RJ Captains because they know they wont leave until they get 500 hrs NG PIC.

I dont know what is the logic on that, may be it is a way for them to be able to pay what they pay.

Because it is so bad out there, COPA is enjoying a good resume pile of experienced guys.

I just received email from copa that they will be starting application process for FO's and they want me to send them my updated documents. I applied a year ago and had totally forgotten about it. Anyone else received this email?

I haven't heard anything yet.

How did you get your application to them, online application or by emailing them ?

I applied a year ago. I sent the resume directly to the HR recruiter. I also did go online and fill out the application. You have to be patient. Also, the package they sent me shows that we need to pay $2500 for some sort of conversion. Is that correct?

I spoke with them yesterday. They are calling people that applied in 2010.... so I guess we just need to e patient...

Peter---you were pretty upbeat on COPA a few months ago....

Here is what you posted :
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that is really a dumb comment,

I fly the line here as B 737 Capt, I enjoy the people, F/A's are great,a very smoothly run airline, no MELs everything is fixed at once, clean airplanes. As soon as you pull into the gate you have a cleaning team meeting you, it is great. dispatch is good, if I want more fuel they give me more, however I dont have to ask, they tend to put on to much.

The training is not the best but once you are done, life is great, Pay is what it is, I am not happy with it, but I dont want to go to India or Dubai either. so it is what it is, if ther is a not a substantial pay increase people will be looking elsewere. Emloyees in general seems to be happy with good attitude. Management seems to make this work, loads are good.

The check is in the mail........
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am glad I bailed when I did---got a FREE type rating and lived in PTY and had some fun. I recommend that anyone interested and with no other place to go---get your 500-1000 hours and bail!

Do you know how long should i wait after leaving CM to go back?

Is there any way to get inside help to get in as an F/O, like many people I guess its got to the point where I just want a job flying anything anywhere.I am 57 years old and for that china is out, middle east wont take you unless you have 500 hours recent on EFIS.

I have 2,500 hours on 737-200 & 300 and have just completed a renewal 6 months ago with NG differences.

personally I rather like the idea of living in Panama, and having lived in Spain for 35 years I am rather fluent.

any ideas !!

Snowcat: thanks for the advice but i have been called to interviews sereral times in the last 2 years even i am ng rated and a current captain. I recieved an email a couple of months asking me about my current situation for a new intervieu.

I just need to know if the new salary is in place and how much money is in hand after tax with this new arrangement.

Tks in advice

Hey Sonny, Some of it I still stand by. However when they started to fabricate dispatch releases this change, you can only comment on what you experience to that point of time, what happens later is a another story. I got my 550 hrs in the B737, and a free type. Habano's is the only thing worth while in Panama.

Peter,

Relax take a deep sigh.....

Just pointed out the Koolaid in your earlier posts....I worked at COPA and saw the BS, so I bolted for many of the same reasons you list, one of the biggest for me was the lack of a real schedule, no jumpseat unless you jump through some pretty big hoops. Pay sucked, and that is if you got paid correctly and who can forget "Sandra" the chick was a liar and incompetent at her job, but it is Panama....that is the way they roll.

I enjoyed living in Panama but was offered a much better position $$$$$ so I bolted. I was NOT impressed with some of the other expats--we had some real losers that COPA hired--several of them lied on applications--most of them did crappy in training, did not have the flight time they said they did, I could go on and on.....everybody cheated in the tests! Pilots or Pirates???? LOL!

1. COPA will hire anyone (they hired a Connie Kalitta guy that was completely incompetent and that was DIRECT from the Kalitta trng dept.) I am sure COPA knows this and welcomes this guy because he is desperate and do anything for the company (kinda like a SCAB)

2. I know of another guy who was fired from Pinnacle and he was a compete loser--claimed he had 1000 in the 737 flying for Higher Power ferrying 737's. Yeah right whatever. This guy had a temper tantrum in the sim and was almost fired but he was a good azz kisser so they kept him.

For me it was a summer job, I enjoyed the latin girls and screwed off mostly....then it was time for a reality check and back to the real world.

Everyone needs to make their own decision....if you want to live in Panama and get a free (well almost free it will still cost you some money) 737 type go for it.....just understand as a gringo you are bottom on the list and expect nothing.

I've got 7300$ for 93 hrs with some SUN ...extra pay...THAT IT :uhoh:

Tks inmigrant. Last question. That is after o before tax. How much tax a month. Thanks amigo.

after.......and Without hosing