GETTING AROUND
Air Travel to, in, and around Costa Rica

Most direct flights from Miami cost less, however there are flights from your home city to San José by way of Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington D.C., New Orleans or Panama.

Most flights arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (Tel: 443-2622) the country's main airport, located about a half-hour northwest of San José. The airport now boasts a new terminal with restaurants and many shops. Many travelers choose to fly into Daniel Oduber International Airport, the country's other major airport, located near the city of Liberia. The main attraction here is the airport's proximity to the excellent Pacific beaches in the northern province of Guanacaste. Many U.S. carriers now offer daily flights to this area. Delta, Air Canada and American West are now flying to Guanacaste. About 200,000 passengers enter yearly through this new airport.

However, the vast majority of flights continue to land at Juan Santamaría Airport. About 3 million passengers entered through this airport in 2004. The airlines currently offering service from the United States to San José, Costa Rica, are Aviateca (800-327-9832), Sasha (800-327-1225), Continental (800-231-0856), Mexicana (5317921), Grupo Taca (800-535-8780), American (800-433-7300), Delta (800-241-4141), United (800-538-2929) and LACSA Costa Rica's national airline. Lacsa's toll-free number is 800-225-2272 in the United States and 800-663-2444 in Canada.

Some airline tickets are good for a year, but you need permission from Costa Rican Immigration to stay in the country longer than 90 days unless you are a resident or pensionado. Most airlines offer excursion rates and three-or-four week packages. Others, especially Canadian airlines, offer special group and charter rates. Fares are subject to availability, change and restrictions including advance purchase requirements, minimum stops or cancellation penalties. Remember, the main tourist season in Costa Rica runs from about Thanksgiving to Easter. This period coincides approximately with local vacations, so it is hard to find available space at this time of year. If you are planning to travel to or from Costa Rica during December, you may have to buy a ticket months in advance because of the Christmas holidays. However, if you get into a jam you can sometimes find space on a flight via Panama.

If you plan to travel or explore South America from Costa Rica, you can usually save money by flying to Miami and then buying a roundtrip ticket to your destination. For instance, a one-way ticket from San José to Buenos Aires, Argentina can cost more than a round trip ticket from Miami to Buenos Aires.

The Travel Store (http://www.allcostaricatravel.com e-mail: travel@ costaricatravelstore.com) and Tico Travel (800-493-8426) specialize in trips to Costa Rica. Retirement/Relocation Tours may be booked through Live in Costa Rica Tours (800-365-2342).

International Airlines Located in San José Costa Rica

Airport Information ........................................441-6069/443-2622
American Airlines, La Sabana ........................................ 257-1266
Avianca.......................................................................... 233-3066
Aviateca......................................................................... 257-9444
Continental ................................................................... 296-4911
Copa ............................................................................. 222-6640
Delta ............................................................................. 257-4141
Grupo Taca.................................................................... 257-9444
Iberia............................................................................. 257-8266
KLM ............................................................................. 220-4119
Luthansa ....................................................................... 221-7444
LTU .............................................................................. 243-9292
Martin Air ..................................................................... 232-3246
Mexicana ....................................................................... 257-6334
United........................................................................... 220-4844

Domestic Airlines

Smaller domestic airlines such as Sansa, Nature Air or chartered planes called air taxis, are used for flights within the country. Domestic airlines use four-to-15-passenger planes. The latter can cost up to a few hundred dollars an hour. Sansa, the national airline, is more reasonably priced ($15 to $30, depending on your destination). Sansa flies to the beach cities of Golfito, Quepos, Barra del Colorado, Sámara, Nosara, and Tamarindo. We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance, especially during the heavy tourist season (December to May.) These flights get you to your designation quickly and economically, save you time, and give you the thrill of viewing Costa Rica's spectacular landscape from above.

Sansa's office is in the Grupo Taca building diagonal to the northeast corner of the Sabana Park. Call 221-9414, or e-mail; info@ flysansa.com or sansa@lacsa.atlas-com or see http://www.flysansa.com for flight times and reservations. Some travel agencies in San José also make reservations. Nature Air offers domestic flights. Call 220-3054 or see http://www.natureair.com. Charters are available at 257-0766 or http://www. costaricacharters.com. Also look in the yellow pages under Taxis Aereos.

Traveling by City Bus - Bus Travel Around Costa Rica - Bus Travel To and from Costa Rica - Traveling By Train - Costa Rica´s Taxis - Automobile Rentals - Driving in Costa Rica - Keeping your Bearings Straight

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Christopher Howard's The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Cost Rica, is important when doing research about moving to Costa Rica.

By Hillary Chura
New York Times
July 30, 2005