Kathy

Are SANSA and Travelair both equally safe and reliable airlines? We are going to Costa Rica next week for two weeks and will probably fly from Tortuguero back to San Jose and then down to the Osa Peninsula and from there to Quepos. Thank you for your input. Kathy

Professional Traveler

Travelair has been renamed and is now Nature Air.

Tess

I flew on SANSA this past November from Tamarindo to San Jose --- no problema. I've got a friend who's been down to CR at least 3 or 4 times and also has never had any difficulties flying on the San Jose-Quepos hop. <BR><BR><BR>

Robbie

Sansa is the much larger airline also with larger planes. Travelair, which is now Nature Air has a much more limited number of flights and much smaller planes. Sansa planes are generally 12 seat planes, while Nature Air are typically 6 person planes. Sansa flies far more flights and is a reliable airline.<BR>Because Nature Air has changed ownership recently I believe they are also planning on getting some bigger planes as well.<BR>Since both are small planes, they tend to have very limited weight allowances, so if you tend to be a heavy packer you will be more likely to get your stuff on the plane ok with Sansa.<BR>They both have limited cargo space, but travelair's in VERY limted.<BR>We are all looking forward to seeing what changes will be made at Travelair<BR>as the new owners appear to motivated to improve soervices, increase the number of routes, etc.<BR>Today Sansa is the better choice, but who knows what may happen by the time our summer arrives!<BR>Best wishes!<BR>Robbie

Judy

Robbie:<BR><BR>My husband and I plan to fly on TravelAir(now apparently NatureAir)next January, first from San Jose(Pavas) to Puerto Jimenez, then from Puerto Jimenez to Quepos. Do you know if Sansa also flies from P. Jimenez to Quepos? Do you have confidence in NatureAir and feel their planes are safe? I would appreciate any info on who owns the company, types of planes (single/double engine, 1/2 pilots? Thanks very much.<BR>

Ally

I'm sure Sansa makes those flights. Here's a website for them.<BR><BR><BR>http://www.flysansa.com/infosansa/ge...eservac&lang=1

RK

Just looked up website for Nature Air (formerly Travelair) --- http://centralamerica.com/cr/tran/natlow.htm<BR>Has anyone booked their travel thru the site? Or is it better to arrange for flights with a travel agent?<BR>

Kathy

We just got back from two weeks in Costa Rica and actually relied on SANSA several times. For just two of us it was often a less expensive, faster form of travel. We would find for example that Interbus would take three to four hours from San Jose to Quepos and it was booked, a taxi was $120 and SANSA was only about an 18 minute flight and only $57 each. I did not enjoy being in such a small plane (12 passenger/2 pilots). However, the fast travel time was great. We flew to and from San Jose to Palmar Sur (Osa Peninsula), from Tortuguero to San Jose and from San Jose to Quepos. All of these reservations were made rather last minute while we were down in the country.

Dave

We just returned two weeks ago and did a similar itinerary. We flew both Nature Air and Sansa. Nature Air from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez then Puerto Jiminez to Quepos. I don't believe Sansa does the Puerto Jimenez to Quepos route. Nature Air does it on their 9:40 AM flight, but only on request in advance. Also remenber Nature Air flies out of Pavas, not the international airport. We also flew Sansa on the trip Quepos to San Jose. The Sansa planes are definitely large, seem faster, and are a bit more comfortable. I'll pick based on price and schedule next time down, both worked just fine. One more quick item. If flying to Puerto Jimenez, Sansa has a small office next to the airfield. Our Nature Air flight was late getting in and we had no idea what was going on. We asked the guy in the Sansa ticket office if he knew and he was nice enough to check and advise approximate time of arrival.

Robbie

GREAT NEWS!<BR>Nature Air has just purchased some 16 seat airplanes. They are just being put into the fleet. I have a reservation to fly on one in two weeks. That actually means that major routes will actually have larger planes than Sansa in some cases! A GOOD thing for those of us who freak out on puddle jumpers.<BR>I am now working closely with the people from Nature air and it is clear that they are making major changes.<BR>One thing for those coming to Quepos, many flights from the US and Canada arrive around noon here. The last flight made by Sansa to Quepos durng our green season is at 1 pm! Difficult to make from an arival at 12:20! However Travelair has their last flight at 2 pm, so during the green season we actually book them a lot more than Sansa! In the hgh season Sansa has typically had the most flights, but that appears very subject to change.<BR>People should know that Natureair fllies out of the PAVAS airport, meaning you have to take a 5-10 minute taxi ride from Juan Santa Maria International airport. However, for those arriving around 12-1 pm, the chances of making the Nature Air flight are far greater!<BR>Best warm wishes!<BR>Robbie<BR>[email protected]

Dianne

Does anyone know of a good place to stay near the Pavas Airport (the one that Nature Air flies out of)? Thanks