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Liberia is on the growing list of destinations, as more airlines offer direct and non-stop flights to Costa Rica's beaches and resorts.

How to find the cheapest fares

Finally, there’s a scientific answer to that magic number of days before a flight when tickets are at their cheapest.   The answer? Are you ready? Are you reeeally ready?  The folks at CheapOair spent the last year analyzing over four million flights last year. They tracked ticket prices from 320 days before takeoff all the way up until the day before, calculating precisely which day each one hit its lowest point. Air travelers tend to believe they’ll find the lowest of low prices when they book “at the last minute.” This, according to all present data, is one hundred percent false. The researchers found that, on average, a ticket was at its highest price on the day before the flight. The second-highest price was two days before the flight, the third-highest was three days before… and so on, all the way to 13 days before the flight.  This pretty much solidifies the rule that you should NEVER book your ticket within two weeks of a flight… a mistake that 36% made made when planning their trips. While the researchers found that 54 days was indeed the magic number for booking on average, they’re quick to point out that this isn't a hard fast rule: your flight’s “best price” window depends a lot on the specific trip you’re taking.

The Magic number for booking a cheap flight to Costa Rica is : 80 days before your flight

New Flights into Liberia

United out of Denver

U.S. carrier United Airlines will open two seasonal flights between Denver and Costa Rica from December to April.  The route to Liberia will operate on Saturdays from Dec. 19 to April 30. Flights will leave from Denver at 9:55 a.m. and arrive in Liberia at 4:15 p.m. Departures from Liberia will be at 12:30 p.m. and will arrive in Denver at 5:05 p.m.

Southwest Air Lines out of Houston

Southwest Air Lines has announced 5 new flights into Liberia out of Houston.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines begins flights in November 2015 from Los Angels

Apple Vacations Charter

U.S. travel agency Apple Vacations will add two new charter operations to the   Airport in Liberia, 

Flights will be seasonal and will be scheduled within dates that allow U.S. travelers to take full advantage of holiday periods,

XTRAirways

XTRAirways will offer a charter flight from Chicago once a week  between December 25 and August 5 starting next year.

The same carrier plans to launch a seasonal charter next year between St. Louis, Missouri and Liberia, from March 18 to August 5

Sun Country.

  Sun Country Airlines will offer flights on the Minneapolis-Liberia route from December 19 to April 9. This will be the fourth weekly flight on that route 

 Air Canada

AirCanada will be making a weekly run between Montreal and Liberia, Guanacaste, starting in December 2010 and will carry 120 passengers each Monday.

Jet Blue

JetBlue Airways is adding more flights to Costa Rica, announcing the start of their four weekly non-stop flights between New York's John F Kennedy International Airport and once weekly from Boston' Logan 

 

 

New Cheap Flights from Europe,

Norwegian's Ridiculously Cheap London-To-U.S. Flights Take Off

The time has come: budget airline Norwegian has launched its much-hyped, low-cost transatlantic flights. Here's everything you need to know.

Norwegian announced its new cost-efficient flights last October, and promoted the options as affordable alternatives to the pricey seats on most UK to U.S. routes. Right on schedule, the first flights took off from Gatwick Airport on July 3rd, almost all of the 291 seats on the airline's 787 Dreamliner have been booked on every inaugural flight between Gatwick and the three U.S. destinations -- New York, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Flights between London and Los Angeles will operate twice a week, with prices starting at £199 (about $340) each way. Flights between London and Fort Lauderdale will also operate twice a week and start at £179 (about $306) each way. The thrice-weekly London-New York flights begin at £149 (about $255) each way.

According to Skyscanner,  the cheapest flight from London to New York last month cost $718. Enough said. Sound too good to be true? According to The Guardian, the airline is offering far fewer super-budget seats than you might expect. Last week, only four of those mythical £149 tickets could be found between July 2014 and March 2015 (the furthest ahead that flights can be booked). The airline also charges £35 (about $60) each way for an "amenity package" including food and a checked bag. The Guardian also admits that pretty much every other flight out there is significantly more expensive, so Norwegian's cheaper base fares do pay off. And if the idea of flying budget across the Atlantic gives you back pain, don't fret. The Telegraph's Soo Kim experienced the flight firsthand and reports that the flight was comfortable, with a user-friendly in-flight entertainment system and generally good service. Norwegian, which was named the best value airline in a May Skyscanner survey ahead of easyJet, British Airways and Ryanair,

British airline adds Liberia flight

Thomson Airways http://flights.thomson.co.uk/en/index.html says it will add a direct flight from London, England, to Liberia starting in November.  The weekly flight   will have 291 seats and leave from the Gatwick airport

 Air Berlin

Air Berlin will begin flights to Liberia's Daniel Oduber airport Nov. 12, 2011 the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo said Wednesday. The flight from Dusseldorf also will stop in Cancún, México.

Airlines flying into Liberia Airport (airport code LIR)


American Airlines out of NY, Miami and Dallas
Delta out of Atlanta,  Los Angeles and Minneapolis
Air Canada out of Toronto and Montreal
US Air out of Charlotte and New Orleans
United out of Chicago, Denver, Houston and Newark
Frontier Airines out of Denver
Apple Vacations out of Chicago

Air Berlin out of Dusseldorf
Thomson Airlines out of London

Sun Country out of St Paul

JetBlue out of JFK NY and Boston


There are also Charters flying into Liberia from Toronto, Oakland, Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, New Jersey and Boston at various times throughout the year.

The international airport in San Jose is a 3-4 drive or a 30 minute local flight to Rancho Armadillo.

Below are toll free phone numbers and internet links to some of the commercial US airlines that fly into San Jose.

American Airlines: 800-433-7300
Air Canada: 800-247-2262,
British Airways: 800-247-9297
Delta Airlines: 800-354-9822
Northwes Airlines: 800-225-2525
United Airlines: 800-241-6522
 

Passports Required

The Costa Rica Government has decided that all persons entering Costa Rica must have a valid passport. That includes US citizens. But hey, at least we aren't fingerprinting our tourists.

Surf Boards and Luggage tips

 Continental has announced new baggage restrictions . Each ticketed and confirmed Economy Class passenger will be allowed two checked bags on international flights.   the maximum allowance per piece is 50 lbs (23 kg) and 62 linear inches (157 cm) per piece. Expect the other airlines to follow.

The most economic method to surf here is to buy a board and sell it when you leave.  Delta and American Airlines charge $100 extra each way for boards, bags included.  It's possible to find a board in good shape for much cheaper than the cost of flying one down here.  An added benefit is that boards bought down here don't get beat up on the plane and a surfer can sell the board when they are done with it and get some money back.  But for those who would rather deal with airline restrictions and fees instead of going without their favorite boards, here are the rules:

Delta Airlines doesn't allow any baggage over 80 inches long according to the company's Web site.  Long boarders must find another airline or buy a board down here.  Unfortunately, long boards at reasonable prices can be difficult to come by.  Delta's policy is that anything over 62 inches costs an extra $100 dollars each way.  This means that all but the youngsters who can still float on a 5-foot board can expect to pay $100 each way.  Boards must be checked in a case designed to protect them or the passenger must sign a limited release tag which says that the company will not be responsible when your board gets trashed which it will if you don't have the proper packaging. 

American and Continental both have larger bag restrictions (115 inches).  But American's over-sized package price matches that of Delta. 
Sometimes airlines have baggage embargoes during high seasons.  Continental has an embargo against oversized baggage in much of Latin America but Costa Rica is exempt.  Surfers can still bring their boards here.  However, Continental has a
policy that each passenger may only take one board bag with a maximum of two boards.