We're planning a trip to Costa Rica in January, and when I first took a look at airfares, I SWEAR I saw direct flights from Washington DC to San Jose. Now that I'm ready to book, I see NO direct flights. Do the airlines do this sometimes but not all the time? We so much prefer flying direct if it's not exorbitant.

Thanks so much,
Alice

Hi Alice,

Are you looking for a non-stop flight, or a direct?

United has an early non-stop. It leaves at 9:00 AM

A "direct" flight makes a stop, with no change of planes. There may be some direct flights too.

You will have to look. Search the big airfare sites. I find that to be easiest.

I hope this helps. Let me know if I can offer any further advice.

Warm Regards,

Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

United flies non-stop Dulles to San Jose only on Saturdays. That's going to be your only non-stop option.

SATURDAYS. I was looking at Friday, thanks so much for the tip. I WAS looking at the big airline main sites and not finding it on Friday.

Thanks VERY much.
Alice

We'd all love to be able to fly nonstop everywhere, but most of us don't have that luxury. Connections do work out most of the time. I wouldn't necessarily limit myself to only nonstop flights.

Another option -- it is a connection -- is Avianca (formerly Taca) via El Salvador. You have regular flights from Dulles to El Salvador, thanks to the large Salvadoran population in DC. From there, you connect to the short flight to Costa Rica. It's an easy airport for connections. No immigration, no customs, since you do not officially enter El Salvador.

www.avianca.com

I didn't know that the United flight was a Saturday only thing. Thanks Jeff.

I also agree with Jeff about the airport in el Salvador. Smaller and modern. Nice airport, without a lot of hassles.

We used to have TACA service out of New Orleans. But they deserted us after Katrina. This was always my preferred route. I actually miss it. It is where I had my first "michalda". The Salvadorian version is a beer seasoned like a Bloody Mary. Much better that it sounds!

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,

Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

I third the vote for TACA from Dulles. I've done that flight several times and its always very nice and usually priced the cheapest. A quick 45 minute layover.