Travelers now have more options that ever to fly between Costa Rica and Florida.
This week, low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines returned to Costa Rica with a route from Miami, in addition to one from Orlando. And the Colombian airline Avianca has also launched a new nonstop option from Florida.
Competition is stiff between Costa Rica and South Florida: American, Avianca, Frontier, JetBlue and Spirit all offer nonstop routes to either Miami or Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
The routes to Costa Rica that began this week operate as follows:
- Avianca: Miami (MIA) to the San José area (SJO): Daily.
- Frontier: Miami (MIA) to the San José area (SJO): 2x weekly on Mondays and Fridays.
- Frontier: Orlando (MCO) to the San José area (SJO): 2x weekly on Thursdays and Sundays.
“We are full of optimism for the arrival of Frontier’s inaugural flight to Costa Rica from Orlando to San José and [Friday] from the Miami route,” said Gustavo Segura, Tourism Minister.
“From Florida, it is extremely encouraging, since it is a key state for the arrival of tourists interested in our country and of notable interest to Costa Ricans.”
The first Frontier flight arrived Thursday carrying 130 passengers.
“Costa Rica is one of the top international vacation destinations and, with our ‘Low Fares Done Right’ approach to flying, it is now even more affordable to visit and explore this amazing paradise,” the airline said in a Facebook post.
Frontier operates more than 100 A320 family aircraft and serves approximately 100 destinations in the U.S., Caribbean and Mexico.
As a low-cost carrier, many amenities — such as seat selection and a carry-on bag — cost extra. Frontier says this unbundling has “lowered fares for millions of fliers.”
Avianca, a full-service airline, is also using an A320-series aircraft on the MIA-SJO route. Its subsidiary, Avianca Costa Rica, is the country’s flag-carrier airline.
Tourism is one of Costa Rica’s principal economic drivers. Before the pandemic, it contributed to 8.2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and created 9% of the nation’s jobs, according to the ICT.
Costa Rica is welcoming tourists from anywhere in the world who purchase travel medical insurance. Click here to see Costa Rica’s entry requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic.
