Big news! Alaska Airlines has now opened up new routes to Costa Rica from Seattle (layover in LAX). Fly starting $249 one way from Seattle/LAX to Liberia or San Jose, Costa Rica.
I grew up in Washington state so when I began visiting Costa Rica, SeaTac was the airport I flew out of. SeaTac is a big airport but unfortunately not a hub to Central America. It’s a great option to Asia or Hawaii but flying to C. America is not so straightforward because there is no direct flights.
The one good thing is that there are many different ways to fly from Seattle to Costa Rica but it does take a lot of research to find a good flight. If you’re lucky and are consistently checking, you can snag one for a good price with a fair layover.
*All prices are in USD*.
LIR or SJO airport?
Costa Rica has 2 international airports: San Jose International Airport (SJO airport code) and Liberia International Airport (LIR airport code). SJO is a little outside San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica. LIR is in Liberia, the capital city of the Guanacaste province. To find out which airport you should fly into, check our Costa Rica airports guide.
The first time I flew by from Seattle to Costa Rica was in December 2010 and it was one of the worst itineraries in terms of price and times I’ve ever booked. I was new to traveling on my own and back then, there weren’t very many good options.
When it comes to prices, flying from Seattle to Costa Rica used to be a lot more expensive. Back in 2012 when I first moved to Costa Rica, tickets from Seattle to Liberia International Airport were about $200-300 more expensive than flying into San Jose International Airport because there weren’t as many flights.
Now in 2020, prices are about the same for both airports since there are more flights to Liberia Airport. Sometimes SJO Airport is still cheaper but definitely check both airports to compare prices.
The key is the time of year you fly. Many dates are way more expensive than others so if you can, be flexible. Usually the most expensive dates are Christmas, New Years, February, March, April and July.
Best Itineraries
Flying from Seattle to Costa Rica requires one layover since there are no direct flights. I’ve had layovers all throughout the country and here are the best itineraries I’ve been on.
Seattle –> Houston –> Liberia Airport
I unfortunately have to fly with United Airlines for this itinerary since their hub is in Houston and they have multiple flights from Houston to LIR (vice versa) every day. This is the quickest, most pain free itinerary (and usually the cheapest).
Seattle to Houston is about a 3.5 hour flight and Houston to Liberia is about 3.5 hours as well so flight times are not too bad at all. If you get an itinerary with a 1-2 hour layover, you’re looking at a 9 hour travel day which is excellent.
I personally don’t like United very much but before 2018, they were the best option for timing and prices. Even though flying to Houston is the most painless itinerary at only 3.5 hours each way, I’ll give my dollars to another airline, Alaska Airlines as much as I can, especially since my homebase in the United States is in Washington state close to Seattle.
Seattle –> LAX –> Liberia or San Jose
They recently opened up many new routes from LAX to Costa Rica so Washingtonians can now use our Alaska Airlines miles to book cheap flights to Costa Rica.
Seattle to Los Angeles is around 3 hours and LAX to Costa Rica is about 5 so it is a tad longer than flying into Houston. However, I love Alaska Airlines! Although they don’t have as many flights as United and are sometimes more expensive, they have great service and itineraries. I really like the one leaving from SeaTac at 8 AM and landing in Liberia Airport around 7 PM.
Seattle –> Dallas –> San Jose
American Airlines has a lot of flights from Dallas to SJO and I used to fly this exact itinerary quite often back in 2010-2012. Seattle to Dallas is around 4 hours and Dallas to Costa Rica is around 4 hours so it’s very similar to flying into Houston. But since we live in Guanacaste now instead of San Jose, I fly with United to Houston a lot more than into Dallas.
Some Other Itineraries
I have also flown from Seattle to Miami, Miami to Costa Rica. This isn’t my preferred itinerary at all. Seattle to Miami is about 6 hours, Miami to Costa Rica is 3. I’d much rather fly 3.5 hours to Houston!
I’ve also flown Seattle to Atlanta, Atlanta to Costa Rica. This is a no-go for me too as I don’t like Delta and this was also very long. (5.5 hours first leg, 3.5 hours second leg).
Prices
Back in 2010, I paid almost $1000 for a ticket over the Christmas holiday flying into San Jose with American Airlines. In 2016, I paid a little over $400 flying from LIR airport with Delta in the beginning of December. So you can see it really does depend on when you fly!
The time of year like I mentioned earlier is key to finding cheap airline tickets. The beginning of December was relatively cheap but travel past the 21st, it jumped up to $700. Beginning of January after the New Year was also about the same price at $400. Summer months are more expensive and I would say the rough average of airline tickets flying from Seattle to Costa Rica is $500-600 now.
It also helps that airlines now have basic economy so if you pack light, you can save even more money on flights.
Do Your Research
Thanks to new flights opening up, flying from Seattle to Costa Rica is not too bad. Maybe one day in the future they’ll have direct flights but having one layover is not horrible.
I always use Google Flights as they have a calendar where you can see the prices and I sign up to their alerts. Also check how much it’d be to buy separate 1 way tickets instead of round trip, ours were cheaper buying separate in December.
And sign up for cheap flight websites like Scott’s Cheap Flights. They find error fares, cheap flights and extra promos which is really awesome if you have your eye on one destination or if you’re flexible in dates.
Christoph says
Hello from Austria, we‘re planning a CR trip this summer and it would be great to have a 3-day stopover in NY. Which airlines offer a stopover? Are there any recommendations or experiences available??
Thx
Chris
Sammi says
Hi Christoph, I’m not sure but I know there are direct flights with Jet Blue from NYC to Costa Rica, I recommend to check with Momondo or Skyscanner for stopover flights, I usually find some on there.
Diana says
Just found your website! It’s awesome! I’m a tica who lives in Seattle. Went to CR back in February and flew with Delta for $630 roundtrip.
Going again August 1st and this time it’s with United: Sea > to Houston > to Liberia. And on the way back its from SJ > Houston > Sea. For $670! Unfortunately, on the way back we have an 11-hour layover in Houston but we saved $500 since it’s my husband, daughter and me flying. And the Hotel was free because I had a coupon from Expedia! So I thought the wait was well worth the $500.
yeison says
Hola Diana Pura Vida Maeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!
Hey this is Yeison we will be in Seattle on Aug 15th, let us know if you need anything from here, you know classic tico stuff like salsa lizano, coffee or if you need us to bring you something from here 🙂
Pura vida and que viva la sele !
Diana says
Tuanis! Thanks for the offer, we’ll be in CR from August 1st till the 16th so we’ll stock up on the coffee, I’ll be bringing half a pulperia in my luggage!
I’m assuming you arrive on August 15th, but just in case you get here before that there’s going to be a TICOS/AS get together at Juanita Beach (in Kirkland) on July 27th.
Thanks again!
Diana
Ritter Standley says
I never thought flying to Costa Rica was that complicated! Thank you for sharing your tips on how to score some real steal tickets!
Sammi says
Unfortunately from Seattle it is a bit more complicated. If you live in the Georgia or Texas, it’s much more easily accessible!
Calli says
Great information – especially for us as Seattle isn’t much further than Vancouver International Airport. One of the first trips Travis and I took together was to Belize and Costa Rica and I remember sleeping in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport during my 2am to 2pm lay over. It was a full 24 hours of travel but we were in college and the flight was cheap. Central America is a region we’d love to explore more so I’ll be sure to put these tips to use!
Sammi says
Unfortunately they haven’t made any direct flights from Vancouver International Airport to Costa Rica yet! They have it for Toronto so depending on the price it might be a good idea to go to Seattle. It’s too bad it’s a little difficult for PNW to get to C. America, I swore that I would never do a 22 hour layover at DFW ever again even if it meant I had to spend 100 more! It was terrible -_-
Agness says
Great tips guys! I actually didn’t know flying can be that affordable.
Sammi says
Thanks Agness! You can actually snag some great deals if you get lucky!
Carl Hancock says
Don’t forget about Atlanta. Delta’s primary hub, headquarters and the busiest airport in the United States. Delta has regular flights to both San Jose and Liberia. I’ve flown into San Jose and then out of Liberia on numerous occasions. I’ll be doing exactly that this weekend. Or at least the flight I to San Jose piece of the trip.
Sammi says
Oh yeah! I had an itinerary for Delta but took it out. They fly from Seattle to Atlanta to Costa Rica as well.
Carl Hancock says
Yea, Seattle > Atlanta > San Jose isn’t ideal for sure. Delta is good for flying into either major airport in Costa Rica if you’re departing from anywhere but the West Coast. I connect in Atlanta from Virginia. Also be sure to peak at first class fares. Sometimes they aren’t all that more expensive than coach. Sometimes. For example my upcoming trip I got first class tickets for $80 more per ticket than what the coach itinerary for the same trip was. Most people automatically assume First Class will be outrageous. But to Mexico and Central America it can be reasonable. Europe, Asia and South America is another matter.
Sammi says
Yeah I’ve flown that itinerary before and it’s quite long but it’s great for East Coasters and the South. Wow 80 bucks! That’s great, I’ll have to check that next time.
Ron Martin says
I am using someone’s free miles and so I got this fare through ATL. I am way over in Arizona too. But you get what you pay for and this was free. I do want to say that I am being charged per bag from Phoenix to Atlanta which is something to look out for. They are going to get 50 or 60 bucks out of me for baggage. Something to look into and consider when pricing fares.
Sammi says
Most airlines will let you check in one bag for free because it’s an international flight. I never had to pay for United or American, although on Delta you might have to now…but its definitely something else to keep in mind if you buy your tickets in part.