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Flying from the USA (Boston, at least) there used to be a surcharge of nearly $300 to fly into LIR so we’ve always gone to SJO. I haven’t checked in the past year but just did, and it seems the big surcharge is no longer there, a boon for commuting to Guanacaste. Am I missing something? I’m hoping the big surcharge was dropped and if so, I’m curious as to when?
Thanks,
JohnI am not sure if understand your question John…
A surcharge?
Liberia is a different airport in a totally different part of the country and there are often different airlines involved and they charge different prices, no?
When you fly from the US to London – Is there a “surcharge” because you fly to Gatwick instead of Heathrow or is it simply a different price?
Scott
Hi Scott,
I just remember that in previous years, a flight from BOS to LIR had a big added fee, around or close to $300 so that from BOS it was in the 700 range, as opposed to 300-400 to SJO, so we always went to SJO. As said, I haven’t checked in almost a year, but recent checks seem to indicate that this big “fee” or “surcharge” for flying into LIR from BOS (and I think from anywhere in the US) is no longer there, so that flights from BOS to LIR are about the same, or even a bit cheaper, than to SJO. This is definitely a change from previous years, and a very welcome one for us who commute from BOS to Guanacaste. I’m just trying to see if I’m missing something or otherwise being stupid.If I understand him correctly, Scott is merely pointing out that airlines charge different fares to different destinations. It would seem that the fare from either Costa Rican international airport to Detroit, for example, would be pretty much the same as the fare from that airport to Chicago, but that has never been the case despite the fact that the mileages are about the same.
Among other things, airlines’ fares are based on the likelihood of filling the plane for a trip to one destination versus another and the costs of using the destination airport’s facilities once on the ground. In your experience, flying into Liberia may mean, for the airline, a less than full plane and higher fees for using the airport’s facilities. That would help to explain the apparent differences.
Too, airlines will charge what the passenger traffic will bear.
Unless you’ve seen a detailed list of fees to fly into Liberia that included a specific “surcharge”, spelled out, then I wonder if you’re not jumping to an unsupported conclusion about the source of the different costs. Differing costs to fly to almost the same place can be explained by factors other than surcharges.
In the seven years I’ve been coming to CR Liberia has always been higher but it’s certainly not a surcharge. As pointed out – it’s a matter of filling the planes.
The rates have been falling (at least from Minneapolis) – three years ago I paid as high as $1480.00 and that was round trip and a three week stay.
The past differential in cost for tickets to LIR is for all the reasons detailed above.
The reduction of prices by othther airlines (especially from destinations in the northeast) is for one reason and one reason only – – [b]JetBlue initiates non stop service NY to LIR tomorrow[/b], with flights 4 days a week!
Now that they have LIR gate space and employees, I am hopeful they will add additional flights from other states, especially Florida.
If you fly in/out of Florida and would like to have them serve LIR, please go to their website and click on the “Speak Out” link and ask them to do so. If enough of us do it, maybe they will consider it.
Passenger load factors and competition between airlines govern the price. Lower passenger loads and less competition between airlines flying into Liberia are probably the reasons for the difference in pricing with SJO. I know of another similar circumstance of flying to LAX versus Orange County Airports in CA. It is hundreds of dollars more to fly to Orange County Airport rather than LAX from CR and the Airports are less than 40 miles apart.
I’m happy to stand corrected. I had thought in the past the extra 300 or so was under “fees and taxes”, not under the basic fare, but it sounds like I was not correct on that. In any case, I was mostly curious and it’s great to see the fares now comparable with those to SJO.
Thanks everyone for your input!
JohnOn the topic of airlines …
I am reliably informed that Jet Blue arrived from NYC to the Liberia Airport today …
Supposedly there are promos running for US$119 each way plus tax.
Scott
I just flew out of LIR last week and just an FYI that the Airport Tax is now $28 (up $2 from $26 USD). Now that Liberia has the airport expansion underway and almost ready to accept more flights, it will most definately lower the cost to flyint in and out of there. I, for one, am excited for that. Nothing is worse than flying internationally and then having to drive 4 hours to the beach from San Jose Airport!
[quote=”sweikert925″]Anyone have any recent experience flying to LIR from the US? I just found out that United has direct service from O’Hare to Liberia so my routine 10 hour travel time to Costa Rica just potentially got cut in half. It’s a bit more expensive – about $100 more – but saving 5 hours off the trip seems worth it.
[Since my next trip is probably going to concentrate on the north part of the country it also seems more convenient than SJO. And frankly, whatever charm San Jose had for me has long since worn off.]
At the other end of the scale I see that Copa Airlines has flights into LIR at almost half the price but those seem to involve a 19 hour layover in Panama City. Anyone have any experience with Copa?
Spirit is the other cheapo airline that services SJO but I’ve heard bad things about them and my only firsthand experience with Spirit involved a 3 hour flight delay to Fort Lauderdale a few years back. Apparently the plane was ready but they couldn’t find the flight crew.
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You might want to check out Avianca airlines, based, I believe,in Columbia. (Limited egress/ingress ports in the USA.)
Reasonable fees, sensible luggage restrictions… and they feed you, at no additional cost. (Beer, wine and sprits included, if you are so inclined.) Service levels surpassing anything I have experienced with any North American based airline in the past twenty years.
Cheers!I feel fortunate to live within driving distance to 3 major airports in the Northeast, so we always are able to pick and choose our flights to Costa Rica.
COPA and TACA are both great. I would stay away from Spirit. Beware of hidden fees! They charge for carry on.
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