American Airlines launching direct flights from New York to Costa Rica

Big Apple, meet Pura Vida.

Beginning in November, American Airlines will launch new direct routes between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Costa Rica.

American Airlines will operate daily service between JFK and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) near San José. The direct flights begin Nov. 21.

It will also offer Saturday flights from JFK to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia. Those start Dec. 21.

“The contribution of American Airlines with its offering of almost 67,000 new seats is extraordinary news for the tourism sector and is an important contribution to national economic activity, whose main driver is tourism,” said Maria Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism.

The routes will operate as follows, according to a press release from the Costa Rican Tourism Board:

JFK-SJO: Departs New York daily at 3:59 p.m. and arrives at 9:42 p.m. Departs the San José area at 11:03 p.m. and arrives in New York at 5:19 a.m.
JFK-LIR: Departs New York on Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and arrives at 10:55 a.m. Departs Liberia at 11:04 a.m. and arrives in New York at 4:59 p.m.

The flights will be bookable soon, and we’ll double-check what appears to be an impossibly short turnaround time in Liberia on the JFK-LIR route.

All flights will be operated by a Boeing 737-800 “with convenient schedules for a full week-long vacation or a quick weekend escape,” according to a press release from American Airlines.