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This morning I booked two COPA flights through Viajes David (Anavilma in downtown Boquete). I noticed she made two phone calls to Copa to confirm they would give me the jubilado discount  . . . which didn't turn out to be nearly as big as I had anticipated. I know that her travel agent fee is bundled into the cost of these tickets. My question is: has anyone succeeded in getting the jubilado discount on airfare out of Panama without going through a travel agent?????

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Don't forget that travel agents often have discounts not offered online. I have researched flights on the Internet and found that Anavilma is usually able to purchase the tickets more cheaply, not even counting the jubiliado discount. Your case sounds unusual to me. Maybe the cost of tickets changing day to day? Conventional wisdom is to purchase airline tickets from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday and to travel on Tuesday or Saturday for the best fares.

Even if Anavilma is unable to get an additional discount, her fee is $20--in my opinion well worth not having to drive to David, find parking near the COPA office, and deal with agents whose English is imperfect or non-existent. One of the things I'm thankful for is having a good travel agent right here in Boquete.

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I think the fact that nobody has come forward to say they got the discount booking online without visiting a travel agent or an airline office answers my question. And, yes, I agree that Anavilma's services are well worth the $20. For example, she knew that booking separate flights DAV-PTY and then PTY-SFO saved me about $100. Who would have known??? Although I found the price of the Airport Riande on Booking.com to be less than her special discount price (by about $7)

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I agree with Pederhaney's posting, and add that the jubilado discount applies only to flights that originate or terminate in Panama. Thus, if you fly from PTY to ATL to JFK, then the flight from Atlanta to New York is not discounted.

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1 hour ago, Bud said:

I agree with Pederhaney's posting, and add that the jubilado discount applies only to flights that originate or terminate in Panama. Thus, if you fly from PTY to ATL to JFK, then the flight from Atlanta to New York is not discounted.

I'm not sure what you're saying, Bud. Are you suggesting that only direct flights get the full discount and that those of us obliged to change planes before arriving at our final destination do not? And what about the return trip (assuming all reservations were made at same time beforehand).

Edited by Bonnie
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2 hours ago, Bonnie said:

I'm not sure what you're saying, Bud. Are you suggesting that only direct flights get the full discount and that those of us obliged to change planes before arriving at our final destination do not? And what about the return trip (assuming all reservations were made at same time beforehand).

Only the flight segments that either originate and/or terminate on Panamanian soil qualify for the jubilado discount. For example, if you fly to Amsterdam on the non-stop KLM flight and return via the same route, then both segments get the discount. On the other hand, if you then fly from Amsterdam to Tallinn, Estonia, as just one example, then the follow-on flights do not qualify for the discount; only the two KLM flights get the discount and the other flight segments do not qualify -- even if they are all booked on the same reservation and e-tickets.

From this, one can deduce that if you wish to go to Europe that it is better from the qualifying jubilado discount perspective to fly directly to Europe, rather than flying to the US (e.g., Houston, Atlanta, or Miami) and then connecting with onward flight segments, referring to those flights that take off or land outside of Panama.

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18 hours ago, Bud said:

Only the flight segments that either originate and/or terminate on Panamanian soil qualify for the jubilado discount.

I think Bud is wrong about this. If you book a ticket and it happens to have an intermediary stop and plane change, I believe the entire ticket is eligible for the discount. Also the return ticket if the trip originated in Panama.

Somebody should ask Anavilma to determine the true answer.

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