American Airlines has announced plans to increase its number of flights to Costa Rica from Chicago for their 2025-26 winter travel season, aligning with our peak tourism time. Starting November 2, the airline will resume daily flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to San José, reviving a previously operated route. Service to Liberia will increase to daily flights from Chicago starting December 18, up from weekly operations. This expansion doubles American’s capacity to Costa Rica from Chicago, meeting anticipated demand for travel here during the high season from December to April.
American’s expansion extends to other Central American destinations from Chicago. Starting November 6, Guatemala City will see up to three weekly flights. For those who travel to Mexico as well, the airline will also increase frequencies to Mexican destinations, including Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos, with some routes offering up to three daily flights. The San José route will operate year-round, while Liberia’s daily flights will run through the high season. Tickets will be available starting today through American’s website or mobile app.
American is joined by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which we wrote about earlier, with increased flights from Amsterdam to San José to five weekly services for the 2025-26 winter season. This reflects growing European demand for Costa Rica, complementing the U.S. market, which accounted for 60% of the 2.9 million tourists in 2024. No other U.S. carriers, such as Delta, United, or JetBlue, have announced specific increases to Costa Rica from the USA for this period, though Delta is expanding its Latin American network with new routes to other destinations.
American will operate over 2,350 weekly flights from Chicago to Central America and Mexico, serving more destinations in the region than any other carrier during the winter season. Costa Rica’s tourism, a key economic driver, expects these additional flights to drive increased interest in coming here, despite the rising travel costs.
