Southwest Airlines is expanding its service to Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province with new and extended nonstop flights from Austin and Nashville for the summer of 2027. The airline will operate nonstop flights between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Guanacaste Airport (LIR) in Liberia on Saturdays and Sundays from June 5 through August 1, 2027, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and Guanacaste Airport.
The flights will use Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with capacity for 175 passengers. The Austin route gives travelers in Central Texas another direct option for reaching the Pacific coast without connecting through another U.S. airport. Southwest will also operate nonstop flights between Nashville International Airport (BNA) and Guanacaste on Saturdays from June 5 through July 31, 2027.
The Nashville flights are an extension of service that had already been announced for February through April 2027, giving travelers from Tennessee a longer seasonal window for flying directly to Guanacaste. Both routes are aimed at strengthening Costa Rica’s connections with the United States, which remains the largest source of international tourists.
The Austin service is particularly noteworthy because there are currently no nonstop flights operating between Austin and Guanacaste so this route marks the return of direct air service between the two places. The announcement also comes as Southwest expands its presence in Austin as the airline is planning its largest-ever schedule from the Texas capital for summer 2027, with approximately 143 departures on peak days.
For us here in Costa Rica, the additional service continues a wider expansion of international flights into Guanacaste Airport, which provides direct access to the ever-popular destinations of Tamarindo, Playas del Coco, Nosara, the Papagayo Peninsula and other areas of the northern Pacific coast
Southwest already connects Guanacaste with several U.S. cities, including Houston, Denver and Baltimore. The new Austin schedule will provide two flights per week during most of June and July, while Nashville will add another weekly flight. With each aircraft configured for 175 passengers, the three weekly services could provide up to 525 passengers per week during the period when both routes are operating.
Tourism officials see expanding direct connections with U.S. cities as an important part of maintaining Guanacaste’s position in Costa Rica’s tourism battle. The announcement made by Southwest Airlines confirms the constant work we do at the ICT for the attraction of airlines, a vital action for tourism, that will allow American travelers to have more connections to our country,” ICT Executive President Marcos Borges said.
The Austin announcement also adds yet another Costa Rica connection for Southwest from the Texas capital. The airline previously announced seasonal Saturday service between Austin and Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José beginning in March 2027. That means those from Austin will have direct Southwest options to both of Costa Rica’s principal international airports during portions of 2027.
The Guanacaste flights are scheduled to operate during the U.S. summer travel season, traditionally part of Costa Rica’s green season, when much of the Pacific coast experiences afternoon rainfall but hotels and tourism businesses often have greater availability than during the peak December-to-April period.
