Avianca last month announced six new international routes to Costa Rica, and this week the Colombia-based airline offered more details about some of those flights.
On December 1, Avianca will launch daily nonstops from the San José area (SJO) to Los Angeles and New York in the United States. The routes will operate as follows:
- To New York: Daily starting December 1. Departs SJO at 5:10 pm. and lands in New York (JFK) at 11:10 p.m. Returns the following day at 1:20 a.m., landing at 5:45 a.m.
- To Los Angeles: Daily starting December 1. Departs SJO at 5:25 p.m. and lands in Los Angeles (LAX) at 9:45 p.m. Returns the same day at 11:10 p.m., landing at 6:50 a.m. (+1 day).
Avianca’s daily flights between SJO and Panama City (PTY) will also resume on December 1, the airline says.
“Central America and the United States are very important to Avianca,” said David Alemán, Avianca Director for Central and South America.
“Boosting point-to-point connectivity between these destinations is key for us, since in this way we respond to the requests of our customers who increasingly choose direct route options at competitive prices and, of course, our airline is at the forefront to satisfy these needs.”
Avianca’s other new routes from SJO will be to Cali and Medellín in Colombia; to Mexico City; and to Managua, Nicaragua. The airline hasn’t revealed further details about those flights, though service is expected to begin in 2022.
“The offer of direct connectivity from Costa Rica is essential, and that strengthens our expansion plans from the country,” Alemán said when those connections were announced.
Currently, Avianca offers nonstop flights between the San José area and Bogotá, Guatemala, El Salvador and Miami. The Miami route is new service that began in July of this year.
Avianca Costa Rica S.A., a subsidiary of Avianca, is the last remaining vestige of LACSA, Costa Rica’s old national 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 Tourism Board.
