New arrival/transfer procedures at SJO starting in November
 

If you've flown in or out of San Jose lately, you've noticed some construction going on at some of the gates. A system is going into place where arriving and departing passengers will be separated by a glass barrier. When you fly in, you won't mix with people who are waiting for their flights out. You'll be shunted directly to immigration. If you're connecting to another flight without entering Costa Rica, you'll still be separated from departing passengers. You'll go to a security checkpoint with x-ray and metal detector and then will be let into the gate area.

The new system is supposed to be ready by November.

A couple of photos from La Nación:

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...stuff/SJO1.jpg

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...stuff/SJO2.jpg

Thanks for the information

Is this suppose to enhance security?

The concern is that you could fly to Costa Rica from a country with more lax security and then board a connecting flight without being sufficiently screened. Or you could pass something suspicious to another passenger in the boarding area waiting for their flight out. So they're going to separate the two groups.

I have an international connection in September. What happens now?

Nothing different should happen, because the new system doesn't go into effect until November. You should be able to just walk to your gate.

I think the strictest security we ever experienced was at SJO.

We left Costa Rica in mid November and the new system was not in place yet. However when we returned on December 12th, it was. We went through the new corridors straight to Immigration. Then when we this past Saturday, we saw the transit passengers screening area which was near gate 5 being used. They had officers and machines.

The gate area was much more peaceful as there was not the mix of coming and going people. And the secondary screening when boarding the plane where they used to relook at the carry on bags did not happen - so the boarding process was a lot quicker. I flew out Air Canada, so I don't know if the other airlines have also eliminated it.

Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad to all.

pura vida
raquel