Cheap oil may be fueling cheap airfare. However, increased competition from low-fare airlines is driving prices for flights to Costa Rica even lower. Southwest airlines continues to expand its international routes, and starting October 15th will offer direct flights to Costa Rica, via Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) from both Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) and Dallas Love Field (DAL). Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines started direct service to Costa Rica from it's east coast hub at Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI).
Although the Dallas and Houston routes do not begin until October 15th, now is the time to book as the lower priced flights are already selling on the Southwest Airlines website. As of this morning, flights are available for $129 one-way outbound from Houston on the 19th of October, and $133 one-way outbound on the 18th from Dallas. The trick to finding the low airline is to use the "Low Fare Calendar" on the Southwest airlines website.
Southwest Airlines isn't the only discount airline serving Costa Rica. Spirit Airlines, which operates hubs in Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Atlantic City, and Myrtle Beach is offering round trip flights to Costa Rica for prices between $300 and $500. From Houston-Intercontinental (IAH) there is even a round trip, red eye flight on Spirit for under $200. Prices are low, between $200 and $400 round trip from Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale where Spirit competes with Jetblue.
Perhaps the best way to find a cheap flight to Costa Rica is to use the new Google Flight Search. The best airfares appear when selecting flexible dates. Google flight search uses a grid system, similar to the web sites Kayak and Himunk. However, Google includes the low fare airlines like Southwest, Spirit and Jetblue in its results.
No mater which airline you choose, getting to Costa Rica has never been easier. With a large modern airport and a long history of receiving tourists, Costa Rica is one of the top tourist destinations in Latin America. It's never that difficult to find someone who speaks English in Costa Rica, and with over 200,000 United States citizens living in Costa Rica the country is well adapted to North American visitors.
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