Skip to main content
  • Banner Web
  • Banner Web 1

American Airlines announces two new routes from New York to Costa Rica

 

  • The flights will operate on a permanent basis to Juan Santamaría and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airports.
  • The flights will leave John F. Kennedy International Airport, known for being the largest source of international passengers in the USA.

American Airlines will add two new flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José and to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia. Sales for both flights will be available on July 1, 2019.

The JFK-SJO flight will begin permanent daily operations on November 21. It will leave JFK at 3:59 p.m. and arrive at SJO at 9:42 p.m. It will then leave SJO at 11:03 p.m. and reach JFK at 5:19 a.m.

Meanwhile, the JFK-LIR flight will begin operations on December 21 and will operate on a weekly schedule on Saturdays. It will leave JFK at 7:00 a.m. and arrive at LIR at 10:55 a.m. It will then leave LIR at 11:04 a.m. and reach JFK at 4:59 p.m.

“The contribution of American Airlines, by supplying nearly 67,000 new seats, is an extraordinary development for the tourism sector and is a significant benefit for the country’s economic activity, for which tourism is a main driver”, said Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo.

The minister highlighted the continuous work and strategic planning by the Costa Rican Tourism Board in partnership with the private sector to strengthen Costa Rica’s air connectivity. “American Airlines is the world’s largest airline and is committing to extend its operations not to one, but to both of our country’s international airports”, added the minister.

“These new routes to San José and Liberia will connect these major Costa Rican cities with New York, the financial and tourism center of the United States”, said Rafael Sánchez, American Airlines’ regional manager for Central America. “This year, we will see major growth in our operations in Costa Rica. We also recently announced new frequencies from our largest connection hub in Dallas/Fort Worth. We are very proud of continuing to strengthen our footprint in Costa Rica, especially now that we are celebrating 30 years of service in the country this year”.

Both flights will be carried out using a B737-800 aircraft with 16 seats in First Class, 30 in Main Cabin Extra with additional space, and 114 seats in the Main Cabin. The aircraft offers free entertainment throughout the cabin, with a wide selection of movies and TV programs that may be viewed on personal streaming devices, as well as USB ports on each seat to charge personal devices.

The flight to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José will add 58,400 seats each year, while the route to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport will add some 8,320.

Currently, American operates three daily flights to SJO from Miami (MIA), one daily flight to Dallas (DFW), one daily flight to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT), and one weekly flight to Phoenix, Arizona (PHX), which becomes daily during peak season. From Liberia, Guanacaste, American operates two daily flights to MIA, five weekly flights to DFW and two weekly peak season flights to CLT. With these two new routes to JFK and the two new flights from DFW to LIR and SJO, set to begin in December, the operations of American Airlines in Costa Rica will consist of 85 weekly flights.

Between January and May 2019, the country saw 604,850 arrivals of Americans by air, which represents 6% growth over the same period last year.

In 2018, Costa Rica received 1,265,067 international arrivals from the United States by all routes, which represented 42% of all visits. Some 96% of these arrivals were by air.

In 2017, average spending by Americans was estimated at US$171.60 per day on average stays of 10.1 days. These tourists preferred the following places and activities in Costa Rica: Sun and beaches, trekking (hiking with special shoes), and hikes on more difficult terrain, among others.