Getting to Costa Rica is about to get easier from a lot more places. Fourteen new or expanded nonstop flights start between October and March, and several of them connect cities that have never had a direct flight here. One heavily promoted route has already been cancelled, and it is worth knowing which. If you are planning a trip for the high season, or you have family flying down to visit, this is the list you need.
Every route below is confirmed by the airline, with start dates, days of the week and aircraft where those have been published. The expansion follows a strong year for arrivals. Between January and June, 1,605,360 travelers landed in Costa Rica by air, up 7.8% over the same six months of 2025 and the best first half on record.
New flights to San Jose
Las Vegas is off the table. Southwest announced a daily overnight Las Vegas to San Jose route in February, pushed the launch from October to November, then cancelled it in July before a single flight operated. The airline cited fuel costs and a decision to use its aircraft more efficiently, since an overnight leaves a plane parked in Costa Rica for hours. If you were waiting on that one, stop waiting.
That leaves the western United States where it was. From Nevada, Arizona and most of California you are still connecting through Houston, Miami or another gateway to reach Costa Rica.
Breeze Airways arrives from Tampa on October 3. This is the airline’s first-ever service to Costa Rica and makes the country its fifth international destination. Flights run Wednesdays and Saturdays on an Airbus A220 seating 137. Tampa has not had a direct link to San Jose in more than 25 years.
Air Transat starts Quebec City on December 15, once a week. Unlike most of the winter additions, this one is permanent rather than seasonal, and it brings the number of Canadian cities with direct flights to Costa Rica to seven.
Porter connects Toronto Pearson from December 2 through April 30, four flights a week on an Embraer E195-E2 seating 132. The aircraft has no middle seats.
Southwest adds Austin on March 13, 2027, Saturdays only. It is the only nonstop between Central Texas and San Jose. The outbound leaves Austin at 10:25 a.m. and lands at 2:05 p.m., with the return departing at 3:05 p.m. Tickets are already on sale.
New flights to Guanacaste
Liberia keeps pulling ahead. Daniel Oduber Quiros handled its busiest quarter ever in early 2026, and airlines have noticed. Air Canada flies Vancouver from December 13 through April 12, Mondays and Thursdays on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 seating 177. Canadian traffic through Liberia grew 28% in the first half of this year, which is the main reason so many of these routes point north.
WestJet adds Ottawa from December 20 through April 4, Sundays, on a 737 MAX 8 seating 174. Worth knowing before you shop: Porter already flies Ottawa to Liberia weekly through the winter, so from December you have two nonstop options on that route rather than one.
United flies Washington-Dulles daily from December 17 through January 4. Note how short that window is. It is a holiday-season route, not a winter-long one, and if you want it you should book early. The aircraft is a Boeing 737 MAX 9 with 179 seats including 20 in business.
That route also completes something unusual. United will now serve Liberia from all seven of its US hubs, alongside Newark, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Chicago. Delta returns to New York JFK from December 19 through April 10, Saturdays only, on an Airbus A321neo seating 194. Delta last flew this route in 2016, and it currently offers no service at all between New York City and Costa Rica.
Southwest adds Nashville from February 13 to March 6, 2027, Saturdays, on a 737 MAX 8. That is a four-week window, the shortest on this list.
Costa Rica gets its first flights from Poland
The most unexpected addition is a charter series. Rainbow Tours and LOT Polish Airlines will run eleven flights into Liberia on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner seating 251, the first direct air link between Poland and Costa Rica. Warsaw Chopin operates weekly from October 8 to 29. Katowice takes over weekly from November 5 to December 17.
These are charter operations sold through a tour operator, so you will not find them on a standard flight search. If you have family in Poland planning a visit, that is the booking route.
More Seats from Europe
Three European carriers are adding frequencies rather than new destinations, which matters if you have struggled to find a seat on a specific day.
British Airways moves to Heathrow on October 25 and goes from three to five weekly flights through March, operating Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on a Boeing 787-8. If you connect onward in Europe, this is the change that matters most. Heathrow is the airline’s main hub, and it has never had scheduled service to Costa Rica or anywhere in Central America until now.
Lufthansa moves from three to five weekly Frankfurt flights from October 25 to March 27, operating Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The days change as well as the count, so check yours. The route currently runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Lufthansa is also switching to a Boeing 787-9 with its newer Allegris cabin.
Iberojet adds a third weekly Madrid flight on Thursdays from late November. The airline expects to make it permanent across 2027 and 2028.
The full list
| Airline | Route | Starts | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest | Las Vegas to San Jose | Cancelled | Dropped before launch |
| Breeze | Tampa to San Jose | Oct 3 | Wed, Sat |
| LOT (charter) | Warsaw to Liberia | Oct 8 to 29 | Weekly |
| British Airways | London Heathrow to San Jose | Oct 25 (3 to 5 weekly) | Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt to San Jose | Oct 25 (3 to 5 weekly) | Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| LOT (charter) | Katowice to Liberia | Nov 5 to Dec 17 | Weekly |
| Iberojet | Madrid to San Jose | Late Nov (2 to 3 weekly) | Adds Thu |
| Porter | Toronto to San Jose | Dec 2 to Apr 30 | 4 weekly |
| Air Canada | Vancouver to Liberia | Dec 13 to Apr 12 | Mon, Thu |
| Air Transat | Quebec City to San Jose | Dec 15 | Weekly |
| United | Washington-Dulles to Liberia | Dec 17 to Jan 4 | Daily |
| Delta | New York JFK to Liberia | Dec 19 to Apr 10 | Sat |
| WestJet | Ottawa to Liberia | Dec 20 to Apr 4 | Sun |
| Southwest | Nashville to Liberia | Feb 13 to Mar 6 | Sat |
| Southwest | Austin to San Jose | Mar 13, 2027 | Sat |
Before you book
Pick your airport before you pick your flight. Liberia puts you within a short drive of Tamarindo, Nosara, Playas del Coco, Papagayo, Flamingo and Santa Teresa. San Jose is better for the Caribbean side, the Central Valley, the southern Pacific and anywhere you need a domestic connection. Landing at the wrong one can add four or five hours of driving to your first day.
Watch the end dates as closely as the start dates. Several of these routes run for weeks rather than months, and a return flight that does not exist yet is a common way to get stuck paying for a connection you did not plan. Liberia also operates only between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., so late arrivals are not an option there regardless of what a search engine shows you.
Seasonal routes get pulled when they do not sell. If a specific one matters to your plans, booking it early does more than save money, it helps keep the route on the schedule. That is also the argument for travel insurance on a seasonal route. If an airline drops the flight or shifts the schedule after you have booked hotels and tours around it, a policy that covers trip interruption is what stands between you and paying twice.
