Avianca Airlines offers new Costa Rica-New Jersey flight

Avianca Airlines on Wednesday announced a new flight from Costa Rica to Newark International Airport in New Jersey, in the United States, through its hub in El Salvador.

The company is offering a promotional rate of $529 for travelers who buy tickets from Sept. 18-30 and travel between Nov. 8 and Feb. 28, 2014.

Flights will run four times per week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The airline expects to offer daily flights beginning Dec. 1.

Last May the Colombian-based airline announced the elimination of five nonstop flights to Costa Rica, ending the jobs of 261 workers in the country.

Direct flights were cancelled between San José and Los Angeles, New York, Havana, Quito and Guayaquil.

Estuardo Ortiz, operations director at Avianca, said in a press release that the airline’s new route will service travel to New Jersey, Jersey City and New York.

“We are confident that this flight will be of great benefit to the Central American community in New Jersey, and it also will offer an important opportunity for business travelers,” Ortiz said.

The new route will use Airbus A319 aircraft, with a capacity for 120 passengers – 12 in business class and 108 in coach.

The airline already offers 11 destinations to the United States including Miami, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas, among others.