Costa Rica Domestic Flights: What You Need to Know

Flying around Costa Rica is an excellent method of transportation for those on a flexible budget. Not only does it saves a ton of time (5 hours driving vs 30 minutes flying) but the views are unbeatable. Taking a Costa Rica domestic flight is truly an unforgettable experience!

Since 2018, a crop of new airlines popped up, offering tourists competitive rates and more routes throughout the country. Now in 2019, tourists can choose between 5 different local airlines to take them around Costa Rica.

If you plan to take a local flight in Costa Rica, here is what you need to know.

• Domestic Airlines
  • TAC
  • Sansa
  • Aerobell
  • Skyway
  • Green
• Domestic Airports
• San Jose Airports
• Map
• Routes
• Luggage
• Reservations and prices
• Mytanfeet discount

Costa Rica Domestic Airlines

Skyway Airlines Costa Rica

Skyway is climbing to the top as a strong local airline and they fly out of the Pavas (international) and San Jose International Airport (domestic flights) with their own counter. They fly to Liberia, Tamarindo, Quepos, Drake Bay, Puerto Jimenez, Bocas del Toro in Panama, La Fortuna and San Jose with the South Pacific being their frontrunner with the most flights.

They’re planning to open flights to more destinations and they have had a great first year so far since beginning operations end of 2018. I flew Skyway from San Jose to Tamarindo and their flight was excellent. The pilots were really nice, the plane was clean and comfortable and check in was a smooth process. Here are some photos from my flight below.

We have a 10% promo code with Skyway and you also get an extra 10 lbs (50 lbs) total with them. Click here to get our Skyway promo!

Sansa Airlines

Sansa has been operating for 40 years and currently, Sansa offers the most destinations and flights. They fly to all the main destinations in Costa Rica as well as the Costa Esmeralda in Nicaragua.

You can book flights from their website easily.

Aerobell

Aerobell is another local airline that has been operating for over 30 years. They have daily flights to 11 destinations in Costa Rica and they also fly to Bocas del Toro in Panama. From San Jose, they fly out of the Tobias Bolaños International Airport.

Green

The only destinations Green offers as of this moment are Quepos and Tambor from San Jose.

Costa Rica Domestic Airports

All of Costa Rica’s international airports serve domestic flights. These are Juan Santamaria International Airport (San Jose International Airport), Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (Liberia International Airport), Limon International Airport and Tobías Bolaños International Airport (Pavas).

Although classified as international airports, Tobias and Limon don’t serve commercial international flights.

Then there are many domestic airports throughout Costa Rica. These are the places that have a local airport.

1. Tamarindo
2. La Fortuna
3. Tambor
4. Nosara
5. San Isidro de Perez Zeledon
6. Puerto Jimenez
7. Quepos
8. Palmar Sur
9. Drake Bay
10. Golfito
11. Tortuguero
12. San Jose (Pavas)
13. Coto 47

There are also small airstrips throughout Costa Rica, open only for charters and private flights (such as Sirena Aerodrome in Corcovado National Park or Punta Islita).

What to Know About the Domestic Airports in Costa Rica

Some local airports charge a fee to guests use the airport. Quepos Airport is $5 USD per person, Fortuna Airport charges $7 USD per person and Bocas del Toro airport is $15 USD per person.

Additionally, the local airports are a bit away from the town, usually around a 10-15 minute drive. Your options for when you land is to take a taxi to your hotel or have your rental car delivered to the airport. If you have a car rental and need to return it, car rental companies will pick it up at the airport.

San Jose Domestic Terminal

In San Jose, domestic flights now have their own terminal completely apart from the international airport. It is right next to the San Jose International Airport and the airlines, Sansa, Skyway, Aerobell, Green and Aeris all have counters and depart from there.

If you are using Uber to get there, just search for Domestic Terminal San Jose. It is very nice with one cafe and souvenir store, bathrooms and seating. You do need to go through security (metal detector) and take out your laptop and check your bags.

Check In

For local flights, you need to be at the airport to check in one hour before your flight. For the San Jose International Airport, I would get there 1-1.5 hours before because that airport is much busier than the other domestic airports so security takes a little more time.

Costa Rica Airport Map

Below you will see a map of the international airports and major local airports in Costa Rica. I also included the driving route from Liberia Airport to Liberia downtown and San Jose Airport to San Jose downtown.

Routes and Schedules

An important thing to know about schedules and routes for local airlines is that there aren’t going to be routes for all destinations.

For example, you will readily find routes from San Jose to La Fortuna or San Jose to Tortuguero, but there won’t be many routes for Tortuguero to Puerto Jimenez. You will need to spend some time checking out all the websites. You will need to be flexible in planning.

1. San Jose – La Fortuna
2. San Jose – Liberia
3. San Jose – Tortuguero
4. San Jose – Quepos
5. San Jose – Puerto Jimenez
6. San Jose – Quepos
7. San Jose – Tambor
8. San Jose – Drake Bay
9. San Jose – Tamarindo
10. Liberia – La Fortuna
11. Liberia – San Jose
12. Liberia – Tambor
13. Tamarindo – San Jose
14. La Fortuna – San Jose
15. La Fortuna – Liberia
16. Quepos – San Jose
17. Tortuguero – San Jose

Luggage

Each airline has their own luggage rules and restrictions. Generally, passengers are allowed one carry on that has a maximum of 10 pounds and one check in. Airlines offer different price points to include less or more luggage.

Every passenger will be weighed with their carry on luggage before getting on the plane. The airlines will charge for excess luggage weight from $1.50 – $2 per extra pound.

• Aerobell offers 3 price points with the difference in luggage weight. Super save is 20 pounds, flexi is 30 and premium is 40. Prices vary from $65 the cheapest to $110 the most expensive (San Jose – La Fortuna one way).
• Skyway offers 2 price points with 30 lbs and 40 lbs (don’t forget out promo code that gives you an extra 10 lbs and 10% off!)
• Sansa allows one carry on of 10 lbs and one check in of 30 lbs. They also offer cheaper saver fees with 20 lbs of luggage.

Overall, you will need to be very aware of how much your luggage weighs if you fly as you cannot pack a full 50 lbs you normally would on a commercial flight. Get our Costa Rica packing tips here!

Reservations and Prices

All Costa Rica domestic flights have to be prepaid and most have a nonrefundable policy like commercial airlines. We always recommend to purchase them as soon as you know your dates because there are 12-19 seats on one plane so most of the times, they are sold out especially in high tourism season (December – April and July/August).

As for prices, local flights are not cheap in Costa Rica. For example, a one way flight from San Jose to Tamarindo is around $80-100 USD for a 30 minute flight depending on the time of year. Low season prices are way cheaper, at around $40 USD one way. The airlines also sometimes do a last minute fares or promos. If you’re flying around Christmas, Easter or New Year, be prepared to dish out more.

Mytanfeet discount for Costa Rica Domestic Flights with SkywayCR

We have a partnership with Skyway Costa Rica to give 10% off and an extra 10 pounds of luggage for our readers! Click here to read more about it and book flights with our Skyway discount!