Alaska Airlines has announced the launch of direct routes from Seattle International Airport and San Francisco International Airport to Costa Rica, starting on December 21, 2024. In Costa Rica, Alaska Airlines will operate these direct routes from Seattle (SEA) and San Francisco (SFO) exclusively to Guanacaste. The flights will run weekly, on Saturdays, using a Boeing 737-8 Max with a capacity of 178 seats.
“The 2024-2025 high season is expected to be historic for Costa Rica due to the increase in operations announced by several airlines. Starting in December, Alaska Airlines will inaugurate two direct flights from the West Coast of the United States (Seattle and San Francisco) to the Guanacaste Airport,” said Minister of Tourism William Rodriguez.
According to the confirmed schedules by Alaska Airlines and Guanacaste Airport, a member of the VINCI Airports network, the flight from Seattle will depart at 8:15 AM (local time) and arrive in Guanacaste (LIR) at 5:15 PM. The return flight from Guanacaste will depart on Sundays at 10:00 AM and arrive in Seattle at 4:45 PM.
The flight from San Francisco will depart at 8:00 AM (local time) and arrive in Guanacaste at 4:20 PM. The return flight from Guanacaste will leave on Saturdays at 5:30 PM and arrive in San Francisco at 10:35 PM.
“These flights will not only increase the arrivals of our best prospects from these cities but will also improve our air connectivity with northern and northwestern regions, such as Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho, as well as with cities in Canada, to which Alaska Airlines also flies,” added the Minister.
Kirsten Amrine, Alaska Airlines’ Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management, expressed the company’s excitement about the new service.
“We are eager to welcome aboard passengers on this new nonstop service from San Francisco and Seattle to Guanacaste, one of the most beautiful and vibrant destinations in Central America. These new additions provide our customers with a convenient connection to a destination we began flying to in 2015 and reaffirm our commitment to Latin America,” she said.
The airline representative also thanked the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and Guanacaste Airport for their continuous support. Cesar Jaramillo, General Manager of Guanacaste Airport, assured that the airport staff is prepared for a very busy season.
“We are proud to announce more good news of new route openings. This reflects the hard work of our route development team to strengthen our network in strategic markets,” he stated.
