Juan Santamaría International Airport named third-best in Latin America

For the second straight year, Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport was named the third-best in Latin America.

The airport, located 20 kilometers northwest of San José, finished behind those in Cancún, Mexico, and Guayaquíl, Ecuador, in the Airport Service Quality awards determined by the Airports Council International. Cancún and Guayaquíl also finished first and second in 2011. Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, rounded out the top five.

In 2010, Juan Santamaría airport underwent significant changes, adding new security checkpoints and an immigration terminal. More expansions are planned for 2012. Nearly 1.2 million foreigners passed through the airport in 2011, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Board.

A minimum of 1,400 passengers are interviewed at each airport to decide the awards. Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, was named the best airport in the world.