Airline Volaris Costa Rica had presented its application to be allowed to operate in airports in the United States a while back, however, their petition had met the objection of Southwest Airlines; however, the US’ Department of Transportation issued this September 21 an order that provides temporary authorization to Volaris Costa Rica for operations between these two countries. The official do...

The earthquake that affected Mexico City this September 19 at this point and according to reports has claimed the lives of over 225 people, collapsed buildings, and several damages. Considering the tragedy and complicated situation, several airlines are waiving change fees on flights to and from Mexico City. American Airlines, United Airlines, Copa, Aeroméxico and Avianca are some of the air...

You can now carry out face-to-face interactions with Spirit Airlines representatives in downtown San José, Costa Rica, thanks to an alliance with a Costa Rican travel agency. The office is located near the city's main thoroughfare, Paseo Colón, north of the Centro Colón building. The budget airline said that because Costa Rica is one of their main points of operation in Central America, the ...

If your travel in or out of Costa Rica today takes you via Panama's Tocumen International Airport you may be grounded or delayed. An electrical problem inside our southern neighbor's airport caused flight disruptions this morning, September 18, and has now been remedied, said Tocumen airport officials this morning. Copa Airlines was heavily affected by the problem as many of its flights to o...

The air traffic control systems and the aeronautic communication systems at the Radar Control Centers in the Costa Rican airports were from 2006, while the radars had a 18 year operating life; these systems among others were recently replaced with the lastest generation technology. The new systems for processing flight plans, the functionalities for the transmission of data coordination between...

While air service through Florida has already started resuming after Hurricane Irma unleashed its destruction over the southeastern U.S. state this past weekend, American Airlines announced they were extending a suspension of flights between San José and Florida until this Friday, September 15. The airline's remaining eight flights scheduled for the remainder of the week have been canceled. ...

Hurricane Irma has already caused a lot of damage and claimed the lives of 13 people so far in its path through Antigua, Barbados, St. Martin and Puerto Rico, while it is still a very dangerous hurricane and it is expected to affect Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and certain areas of Florida in the next couple of days. This situation has caused flights to and from the affected destinations to be ...

This is raw footage of yesterday's initial rescue efforts of an aircraft accident near San José, Costa Rica which has claimed the lives of two of the six people on board, including American expat, Randall Lindner. The footage is courtesy of the Spanish-language Costa Rican newspaper La Prensa Libre.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR4VfAt8yjU&feature=youtu.be  ...

U.S. citizen, Randall Lindner, who was also a resident of Costa Rica, was the second person to die in an airplane accident this morning, Tuesday, September 5, in the western San José, Costa Rica district of Pavas. His death was registered at the San José Calderón Guardia Hospital this afternoon, said the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) which runs the country's national hospital and cl...

More details are starting to become available on the deadly small aircraft crash early this morning near the Pavas, San José airport which affected six individuals. However, Nature Air, who operated the flight, said they were not making public statements on the event due to the fact that the crash is under investigation by the Civil Aviation Department. A woman identified as Costa Rican Marí...

A plane operated by NatureAir with five passengers plus a pilot on board crashed into a river in Pavas, a western sector of San José, Costa Rica early this morning which were confirmed by the airline. It is confirmed that five passengers were on board, and one of them, a woman estimated to be 40 years old, died as a result of the crash. Information on the identities and nationalities of the pas...

The emergency situation currently faced by several areas in Texas has caused the cancellation of flights to and from several countries to Houston, among them, Costa Rica where so far 19 flights have been cancelled, as reported by Aeris, the company in charge of the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica. The flights were scheduled between Saturday and this past Tuesday, August 29 a...

With tropical storm Harvey now a raging hurricane passing over parts of the southern United States, four United Airlines flights to Costa Rica out of Houston, Texas were canceled this weekend. So far, these are the only flights affected by the hurricane after it struck the Texas coast this weekend, said Aeris, administrator of San José's Juan Santamaría international airport. Aeris advised p...

Regulations for drones in Costa Rica went into effect on August 13, and drone users have a 6-month window to comply, or face penalties, reported the Civil Aviation department last week. The regulations establish guidelines for the use of drones for recreational, institutional and commercial purposes. Those using drones must be do so in open areas, and ensure they are not within an 8 km radiu...

Helicopters used to transport people who need medical attention can now land on the northeast side of the Calderón Guardia Hospital  - a major public health facility near downtown San José, Costa Rica, announced Columbia Radio 98.7 FM this week. The first such transport took place over the weekend when a patient with an apparent heart problem was airlifted by medical helicopter from Santa Maria...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board has been aggressive in its strategy to attract more tourism to the country and diversify its markets. With many new European airlines operating in the country the number of tourists from this continent has increased considerably. Efforts continue and apparently the country will be celebrating the arrival of more airline options soon. According to Aeroinfo Costa Rica...

Copa Airlines is offering great deals if you are flying out of Toronto to Costa Rica in the months of September, October and early November, round trips are going for as low as $245.00 CAD ($191.26 USD). Copa flies from Canada to Costa Rica with one quick stop in Panama (between 45-90 minutes), so no crazy schedules or layovers. The months of September, October and November are part of the ...

  The low-cost airline, Volaris Costa Rica, announced this week the launch of a new route connecting  San José, Costa Rica (SJO) with Mexico City (MEX). "In addition to strengthening its connectivity in the region, the service will encourage social, cultural and economic exchange between both nations," the company said in a statement. Starting September 14, the service will operate three...

Southwest Airlines announced yesterday a sale on nonstop flights to and from San José, Costa Rica during their winter season which starts November 5. Grab a low fare to the Miami area (via Ft. Lauderdale), to Houston (Hobby), and/or Baltimore/Washington, DC (BWI), with some new nonstop routes being offered, and some great advance fares. Current daily nonstop Southwest service between both Liberi...

Nonstop flights from London's Gatwick airport to Costa Rica's Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia are available from £299 round-trip. Hurry before they are gone! These dirt cheap fares are for travel from August 29 – September 5, 2017. The flights can be found on SKYSCANNER According to the airline website, "Thomson Airways was set up in 1962 (formally Britannia) and has...

If your travel plans in and out of Costa Rica include any of these South American countries, be advised that to get back into Costa Rica you will need to have an official document attesting to having received a yellow fever vaccine. Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela have yellow fever risk areas in many parts of their territories, and you will be required to present proof of yo...

Flying through Air France and KLM from San José, Costa Rica has plenty of advantages; the companies offer what is known as “joint rate”, which means travelers can fly out of San José with Air France and fly back with KLM or vice versa without additional charges or fees; in addition, clients will be able to visit up to three destinations for the price of a round trip ticket. “If for example some...

Costa Rican domestic airline Nature Air, is going through some internal changes that have caused problems this week in their regular operations. According to Aeroinfo Costa Rica, the company has recently fired its General Manager and four of its small plans were not allowed to fly this week because of problems with its rental contracts. According to Aeris' operation manager, company in charge o...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) had already made clear in the past months its interest in attracting more tourists from Europe, and as part of this strategy the government has managed to connect the country with different European countries through eight new direct flights (commercial and charter). British Airways and Thompson Airways; Air France; Lufthansa and Condor; Edelweiss, KLM and Ibe...

Low-cost airline Volaris will offer flights from Juan Santamaría airport in San José to Los Angeles, Oakland, Fresno and Sacramento in the United States with costs starting at $130.00 one-way, flights are available for travel as of September 12 and can be purchased now. The flights to Los Angeles will make one stop in Mexico City while the other three destinations will make a stop in Guadalajar...

The Ministry of Public Security has carried out national aerial surveillance over the past year to identify, and eradicate, clandestine airstrips throughout the country, said the ministry in a statement. The finding yesterday of the charred remains of a light aircraft that apparently caught fire upon landing on an airstrip on a private property in the jungle in the Pacific area of Savegre, Quep...

German carrier, Lufthansa, announced today that it will include a direct Frankfurt - San Jose connection on its summer flight schedule for 2018. Starting March 29, 2018, a non-stop Lufthansa flight will take off every Thursday and Saturday from Frankfurt to Costa Rica. This is the seventh European airline to announce a direct connection to Costa Rica in the last three years. Lufthansa, one o...

The British engineering firm, Mott MacDonald, announced yesterday the delivery of the much-awaited masterplan for the proposed new international airport in Orotina, Alajuela, Costa Rica. The project will replace Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria International Airport, which will be unable to meet future passenger demand beyond 2026. The 12-month feasibility study forecasts a demand of 7.8 million...

A multi-agency commission charged with improving things at the Costa Rica's main international airport has identified priority areas in their first two months of work. Costa Rican Tourism Minister Mauricio Ventura said the commission detailed "seven internal problems at the airport, for which measures were proposed over the short and medium term." He was enthused at the speed at which the commi...

Book by July 27, 2017 on Southwest for these great international fares. Tickets are nonrefundable. Seats, travel days, and markets are limited, and some blackout dates apply. Travel dates may vary for cities outside the contiguous U.S. And, also, points bookings do not include government fees that start from $5.60 per one-way flight, said the airline on their site. See below for the complete...

Air France started operating the Paris-San José route back in November or 2016 and the service so far was only offered during the European winter from October through March, the airline had already announced in March of this year that thanks to the success they’d had the operation would add a third flight for the 2017-2018 season. Now, the airline has confirmed they will continue to operate t...

Want to see more of Costa Rica? Domestic flights on NatureAir can get you from place to place in far less time than it takes to drive, and reach destinations that span from Tortuguero in the northern Caribbean to the Osa Peninsula in the southern Pacific. From now until August 31, while supplies last, the airline is offering a 6-ticket package for US$199 to residents and nationals. Each o...

Spirit Airlines opened on Saturday, July 1, a new sales and customer service office in Costa Rica to better serve local customers, said the airline. The office will be open Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. - 12 p.m. Phone queries can be made via (506) 4032-9449, where Spirit representatives will assist customers, "with the kindness and courtesy you deserve." With ove...

The Juan Santamaría Airport in Costa Rica had to suspend its operations this Saturday as a consequence of the national blackout. The electric service was interrupted at 1:15 p.m due to a failure in the Regional Interconnection System; this problem is also affecting Nicaragua, Panama and even Guatemala. All flights coming in and out of the country are either delayed or suspended for now, conf...

In April this year, KLM Royal Dutch Airline announced they would start two weekly direct flights between Amsterdam and Costa Rica to accommodate growing European winter tourism to the tropical vacation haven starting October 31, 2017. This week the airline said they would be increasing that service to Costa Rica in the first quarter of 2018 with an additional flight. The third weekly flight ...

If you are in Costa Rica and want to plan some tours in the country or if you have exceeded your 90 day stay and need to leave for a couple of days visit the Expo Viajes (Travel Expo) this weekend at the Whyndam Hotel in Cariari, Heredia and plan your next adventure in or out of the country at convenient prices. The travel expo brings together 50 companies from the tourism industry, all of whic...

The General Direction of Migration in Costa Rica will eliminate, starting August 2017, the paper forms used for the registry of entry and exit of passengers at the Juan Santamaría International Airport. Starting August 15 the registry will be done automatically through the digital reading of the passport. According to the Migration Director, Gisela Yockchen, this is the first of a series of ...

The Coto 47 airfield along Costa Rica's Pacific coast, in the southernmost area of the Puntarenas province, about 10 miles form the Panamanian border, just got a major overhaul. The investment exceeded €1.02 billion or roughly US$1.76 million, and will benefit businesses, residents and visitors in the southern Pacific region, said the Costa Rican government in a press statement. Coto 47 (IAT...

According to a market report for Latin America and the Caribbean by air travel intelligence company Official Aviation Guide (OAG) Flightview, Costa Rica has the international airports with most flight cancellations in the region. This study is carried out every month by OAG, a company based in the United Kingdom that provides analytical tools, databases and reports to assess air travel trends a...

Finally, and after years of different technical studies, the Costa Rican Government received today the full report with 2,829 pages regarding the technical viability, financial aspects and pre-design of the construction of a new international airport in Orotina, Alajuela. In May of 2016 a $1.8 million contract with British engineering company Mott Macdonald was signed to conduct a technical and...