Norm Writes
  • Home
  • Who in the World
  • Blog
  • Postcards
  • Why I write

10 Secrets to Booking Cheap Airfare to Costa Rica

8/30/2013

12 Comments

 
Picture
Costa Rica is fast gaining a reputation as a tropical paradise, a playground for nature enthusiasts, ocean lovers and spring breakers from all over the world.  In fact, more than 20 million people visit this little Central American nation without an army every year.  Even the national saying, “Pura vida,” or, “Pure life,” expresses the attitude of this sunny, happy place where coastal towns have more surf boards than cars.

A vacation to Costa Rica is always time well spent, but airfare can be one of the biggest expenses of your trip.  The good news is that it only takes 3 to 5 hours to fly to Costa Rica from almost anywhere in the U.S., and many flights are direct, so with a little bit of searching and know-how, you can find an inexpensive flight and be on your way.

Here are 10 secrets to finding cheap airfare to Costa Rica:

1. Reverse searches:
If you are flexible with which days you can travel, a lot of cheaper airfares may open up for you. There are several travel search engines that will allow you to search by destination without putting in a hard date.

Adioso.com
Flexible searches based on dates, locations, and connections.
 
AirfareWatchdog.com
You can see the top 50 fares for different destinations.

Kayak.com
Search where you can go anywhere in the world based on  certain budget, continent, or even what activities once you get there.

2. Travel off-season.
Costa Rica, like many countries in tropical climates, doesn’t have set winters and summers like up north. Instead, they have a dry season from approximately late November through April, and a rainy season from May to November. If you don’t mind some clouds and a little rain mixed in with sunshine, it can actually be cooler (but still plenty warm) and far less crowded, meaning cheaper flights, hotels, etc. I actually love traveling during the rainy season, but watch out for October, where it can rain all day every day!

3. Search flights into different airports.
Costa Rica is a small country with both a Pacific and Caribbean coast for vacationers, and there are a couple of airports to fly into. 

The biggest international airport is San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport  (airport code: SJO). San José is the main city, and a central hub if you want to hit the beach in Manuel Antonio or Jaco, the Central Pacific coast, Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast, or the Southern zone closer to Panama.

A few years ago the small city of Liberia in Guanacaste Province undertook a huge expanision for the Daniel Oduber International Airport (airport code: LIR), and this shiny international gateway now offers a world of convenience for those flying into the northern Nicoya Peninsula, to places like Tamarindo and Play Coco. In the old days everyone had to fly into San Jose and take a puddle-jumper to Liberia, or endure a hot, sweaty bus ride through the mountains. With direct flights to Liberia from New York, Miami, Houston only taking 2-3 hours, you can literally escape to the beach in Costa Rica for a long weekend!

You can even search for cheap flights to Managua airport, at the capitol of Nicaragua to the north, and spend a few days in charming Granada and sunny San Juan del Sur before easily taking a safe, inexpensive tourist bus across the border south into Costa Rica.  

4. Let your search engines do the work.
There are some great internet search sites out there who will do all of the work for you. Even better, register a search to a certain destination or below a certain price and they will give you automatic email alerts.  I like:

CheapOAir.com

Kayak.com

FareCompare.com

BudgetAir.com

5. Know your airlines.
Search engines are great, but also search directly on the airlines’ websites. They often offer private deals or promotions that the search engines can’t access. Increasingly they are running cheap deals on social media sites like Facebook, so it’s worth it to Like their page and check in.  But act fast – these promotions sometimes only last a day or even a few hours!

These are airlines flying direct to Costa Rican airports, from U.S. or international destinations:  

American  (Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami)

Air Berlin (Dusseldorf)

Air Canada (Toronto)

Continental (merging with United) (Newark, Houston)

Delta (Atlanta, Minnesota/St. Paul, and Los Angeles (seasonal))

Frontier (Denver)

Iberia (Madrid)

JetBlue (New York, Orlando)

Spirit Air (Ft. Lauderdale)

Thomson (London)

United (Chicago, Newark, Houston)

US Airways (Charlotte, North Carolina)

These are some other airlines flying to Costa Rica that may have cheap fares:

Copa

Aeromexico

Avianca

WestJet

Condor

TACA

Picture
6. Timing is everything.

The best time to search for tickets.

Did you know there are up to 10 different ticket prices on the same flight? So how do you get one of the cheap seats? Timing is everything.

Airlines release their new weekly fares on Mondays, so at Tuesday by 3 pm their competitors have released their deals, making it the exact time to search.  

Studies show that the cheapest time to book is 49 days before your departure, or 81 days ahead of time for international flights. Interestingly, flights booked 200 days or more in advance are more expensive, and last minute flights may be cheaper, but the seat availability is extremely limited.

If you are flying during the holidays, start searching 10 weeks ahead of time. If you’re headed to a non-vacation destination, shop on a weekend - it will save you 5%.

The best time to fly.

The majority of air travelers want to fly on a Friday or Sunday, so you’ll find the best deals available for flights on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.  

Flights at the crack of dawn, at dinnertime, or red-eye flights over night are cheapest.  

7. Get social.
Almost every airline has a social media page, at least on Facebook and Twitter these days, and often release specials and limited time deals that aren't publicized elsewhere. Like or follow a few airlines ahead of time so you can track their updates. Don't be afraid to reach out to them via social media and ask questions, turning yourself into a perfect social media marketing tool!  

Here is an example of JetBlue's social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.

8. Book a package deal

Booking a package usually drops your airfare into the leisure travel category, saving you money. Arranging a ticket for your hotel, rental car, and airfare together may give you access to lower prices on internet search engines, and travel agents can be helpful when it comes to these bargains. 

Contact any organizations, like AAA, AARP, unions, or Veterans groups that you belong to because they may be able to get you a discount.

9. Frequent flyer miles and points:
Always register to earn frequent flyer miles and keep track. Confirm with the booking agent and at the check-in counter to make sure they credited you your miles, and once you get home check to make sure they were registered.

Use a credit card that offers award points of frequent flyer miles. Some of them are great but only give you miles on one airline. I have a Chase Sapphire card that allows me to accumulate points for all flights, hotels, rental cars, or even restaurant meals. I run all of my bills through it but pay it off every month, and the result is that I get at least two free flights every year.

10. Two important questions to ask the airlines:
When booking a flight, ask about their luggage policy. Slightly cheaper tickets for your family does no good if you are paying $50 each for baggage. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airlines make over $3 billion in baggage fees alone every year!

After you book your flight, call back the next day, within 24 hours, to check if the fare went lower. Most airlines have a policy where you could cancel and re-book for the lower fare within 24 hours without penalty.  

***

If you want 3 more great tips how to save you money on your vacation to Costa Rica, email me and I’ll  be happy to share those with you.  

-Norm :-)


Picture
If you want to read more about Costa Rica as a vacation destination, check out these articles:

30 FUN Facts About Costa Rica.

25 CRAZY Facts About Costa Rica.

The 3 Great Costa Rican Lies.

Picture


Or read South of Normal, the Amazon.com best-selling, controversial insiders look at an expat living in Costa Rica. 

Warning: It's not for the feint of heart! 

For a video preview, click here.

Picture
Picture
Read South of Normal, the Amazon.com best-selling, controversial insiders look at an expat living in Costa Rica. 

Warning: It's not for the feint of heart! 

For a video preview, click here.

Picture
If you want to read more about Costa Rica as a vacation destination, check out these articles:

30 FUN Facts About Costa Rica.

25 CRAZY Facts About Costa Rica.

The 3 Great Costa Rican Lies.
Picture
12 Comments
Flight bookings link
10/21/2013 03:10:01 pm

Well written article for booking cheap flight and you have explained each and every point so well its easy to understand.
You can also add a point that before searching for flights clear your cache from the browser.

Reply
Norm Schriever
10/21/2013 03:45:19 pm

That's a fantastic tip I never thought of - thanks!!!

Reply
Matt link
2/6/2015 11:55:17 pm

Hey i can also tell you a better way.
Just call <a href="https://www.traveldecorum.com/">Traveldecorum</a>
and they will quote you the cheapest fare available.
Cheers :)

Reply
Right Travel link
7/11/2016 11:41:21 pm

Great tips and thanks for the blog!!

Reply
karina eid link
8/31/2016 12:14:10 am

Great tips, I’m a big fan of ieagle.com. You can always find a great deal there, best website ever for budget flights. They cross reference all flights to find you the cheapest of the cheap.very helpful,thanks.

Reply
vibrant wave link
8/31/2016 01:10:44 am

Very helpful and Great information,
we appreciate advise especially coming from a professional.
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Read more at http://vibrantwave.com/cheap-hotels-in-new-york/

Reply
Dc Taxi Service link
1/4/2018 11:41:09 pm

I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I’m quite sure I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

Reply
BUF Buffalo Airport Taxi Service link
1/4/2018 11:42:25 pm


One thing I’ve always admired about you, is how genuine you are. There are many blogs that I used to read that I no longer do because they seem to have become all about this giveaway or that sponsored post, but your approach to monetization has never rankled. You’re up front about who you are and where you’re going and I’m happy to be along for the ride.

Reply
Dan Kelly
7/1/2018 09:58:21 am

I'm considering moving to Costa Rica.

Reply
Atlanta Dump Truck Hauling Company link
8/2/2018 11:52:32 am

I do believe all of the concepts you have presented on your post. They are really convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are very quick for newbies.Thank you for the post.

Reply
Tampa Airport Taxi link
8/2/2018 11:53:57 am

We absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your post’s to be what precisely I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content available for you? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on some of the subjects you write concerning here.Again, awesome blo

Reply
Johnny
1/13/2020 03:52:37 am

Great stuff. Heading to CR soon, permanent

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed


      Receive a digital postcard from Norm every month:

    Yes, I want a postcard!

    Don't miss Norm's new book,
    The Queens of Dragon Town!

    See More

    Norm Schriever

    Norm Schriever is a best-selling author, expat, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. He travels the globe, telling the stories of the people he finds, and hopes to make the world a little bit better place with his words.   

    Norm is a professional blogger, digital marketer for smart brands around the world,  and writes for the Huffington Post, Hotels.com, and others.

    Check out South of Normal his Amazon.com best-selling book about life as an expat in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

    Cambodia's School of Hope explores education and empowerment in impoverished Cambodia, with 100% of sales going to that school.

    The Book Marketing Bible provides 99 essential strategies for authors and marketers.

    Pushups in the Prayer Room, is a wild, irreverent memoir about a year backpacking around the world.  

    Follow Norm on Twitter @NormSchriever or email any time to say hi!

    Categories

    All
    Advice For Writers
    Amazon
    American Exceptionalism
    Anthropology
    Asia
    Backpack
    Basketball
    Best Seller Lists
    Blogging
    Book-marketing
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    Cambodia
    Charity
    Child-poverty
    Cloud 9
    Communications
    Costa Rica
    Crazy-asia
    Culture
    Dumaguete
    Education
    Environment
    Ethics In Writing
    Expatriate
    Favorite Song
    Festivals
    Fraternity
    Funny
    Future
    Geography
    Give A Photo
    Giveaway
    Giving Back
    Health
    Heroes
    History
    Hugo Chavez
    Human Rights
    Humor
    India
    Islands
    Itunes
    Laugh
    Maps
    Marijuana
    Martial Arts
    Memoir
    Music
    Nature
    Nicaragua
    Non Violence
    Non-violence
    Ocean
    One Love
    One-love
    Our World
    Philanthropy
    Philippines
    Population
    Positive
    Positivity
    Postcard
    Poverty
    Pura Vida
    Pushups In The Prayer Room
    Race
    Reviews
    Safety
    San Juan Del Sur
    Science
    Screenplay
    Self Publish
    Siargao
    Social Media
    Southeast-asia
    South Of Normal
    Speech
    Sri Lanka
    Story
    Surf
    Surfing
    Tamarindo
    Thailand
    The Philippines
    The-queens-of-dragon-town
    Tourism
    Travel
    United Nations
    Venezuela
    Work From The Beach
    World Health
    Writers Forum
    Writing
    Writing Forum
    Writing Your First Book

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

Norm Schriever

Email:     [email protected]