Wheelchair & mobility help
The most common request — arrange it ahead so staff expect you.
Copa provides wheelchair assistance through the airport for passengers with limited mobility — help to the gate, down the jet bridge, and between connecting flights. Request it in advance through Copa's special-services request (or let us add it to your booking) so it's on the reservation and staff are ready for you, which matters most at the Panama City (PTY) hub, where connections can involve a long walk. If you're travelling with your own mobility device, tell us the type and its battery so we can confirm how it has to be handled.
Mobility-device handling and assistance procedures are set by Copa and can change; confirm current details at copa.com.
Oxygen & portable oxygen concentrators
The rule with the hardest deadline — miss it and the device can't fly.
Copa lets you carry and use an FAA-approved portable oxygen concentrator on board worldwide at no charge, as long as it meets FAA guidelines. The concentrator is treated as an assistive device and doesn't count toward your carry-on limit.
You must tell Copa at least 48 hours ahead so its call center or offices can confirm your exact model is on the current approved-device list. Turn up with an unapproved or unnotified device and it won't be allowed on.
You need an ample supply of fully charged batteries covering the whole flight plus about three hours of extra battery time. Loose spare batteries travel in your carry-on, protected from short-circuiting.
POC and medical-device rules are set by Copa and the FAA and change; confirm your exact device at copa.com or with Copa before travel.
Service dogs vs. emotional-support dogs — Copa is not like a US airline here
The biggest difference on this page, and the one people get wrong.
A trained service dog is accepted on all Copa routes. An emotional-support dog is different: Copa only accepts it on routes to or from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, where local regulations recognize them — and it needs a psychiatrist's letter issued within the last year, signed and stamped with the professional's license details. This is a real contrast with US carriers such as American Airlines, which no longer treat emotional-support animals as anything but pets. On any Copa route not on that list, an ESA travels as a pet under the pet rules.
Copa states that service dogs have no weight limit — the dog just has to fit in the floor space in front of your assigned seat, on the floor, without spilling into the aisle or a neighbor's space. If it's too big to settle at your feet, Copa will try to assign a seat with extra space, and only if that isn't possible might you need to buy an additional seat for floor room. A service dog travels free — no pet fee.
An emotional-support dog may weigh up to 10 kg at your feet; over 10 kg, an additional seat can be purchased for space. This weight condition applies to ESAs — don't confuse it with the no-limit rule for trained service dogs.
Copa accepts one service or support dog per traveller, minimum six months of age, and asks for identification showing the dog is a service animal plus valid vaccination and a good-health certificate.
You can't travel with a service or emotional-support dog and also bring a pet in the cabin on the same trip.
Service and emotional-support animal rules are set by Copa and by the countries on your route, and they change; always confirm current requirements at copa.com before you travel.
Other medical conditions
Some situations need clearance — sort them out before the day.
Certain medical conditions — recent surgery, a condition that may need attention in the air, or travelling on a stretcher or with specific equipment — can require Copa's clearance or a medical form before you fly, and the details depend on your situation. Rather than risk being turned away at the gate, tell us what's involved and we'll check what Copa needs and get it arranged, or point you to Copa's special-medical-conditions process.
Medical-clearance requirements are set by Copa and change; confirm your specific case at copa.com or with Copa before travel.
Before you fly — the checklist
Two minutes now prevents a scramble — or a denied boarding — later.
- Add the request to the booking — don't rely on sorting it at the airport
- POC model + batteries — 48h notice, fully charged, plus about 3 extra hours
- Support dog? Check your route — ESAs only to/from Brazil, Colombia or Mexico, with a psychiatrist's letter
- Chargers, batteries & paperwork in your carry-on — never in a checked bag
Put it on the reservation the day you book. The wheelchair help is free and the POC rides free, but the 48-hour POC approval and the route rules for a support dog aren't automatic. Sorted early, they're paperwork; left to the gate, they can be a missed flight.
Frequently asked
Does Copa Airlines provide oxygen, or can I bring my own concentrator?+
Does Copa accept emotional-support animals?+
Is there a weight limit for a service dog on Copa?+
How do I request wheelchair assistance on Copa?+
Contact options
Reach Copa directly, or let us add the request and confirm it's set.
Contact Copa Airlines directly
The airline's own official channels — free.
These are Copa's own channels; confirm current disability and device rules at copa.com.
More Copa Airlines help
Related guides.