www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Anyone have any idea what the deal is with ticket prices this year? Last year I bought round trip tickets from DFW to San Jose for $400 on American Airlines but this year it's over $800. It cost so much I don't even want to go. Hell, I could book a flight to Thailand for a $100 more. I can't believe how expensive it has gotten. Even the flight times have gotten worse.

No clue but u r correct. Paid $798 from TPA to SJO and booked it over a month out.

Of course I should start with anyone who claims to understand airline pricing is deluded. I have a trip scheduled in early May from Kansas City. I paid $420 in January. I just checked it, is still available from Southwest and $440 from American. The American flight changes planes in DFW. The same flight used for the second leg DFW - SJO is priced individually at $813.

So half price for adding the extra flight MCI - DFW. My only guess is they must feel they need to compete with Southwest in the Kansas City Market and do not feel the need to compete in Dallas because the Southwest option from Dallas includes changing planes in HOU?

Keep checking, the prices change often. I was looking at late April. Two weeks ago I could not find anything under $700 round trip (from Louisville). I checked again three days later (last monday or tuesday) and the same website had the same flights for $412, i booked that day. They have probably gone up again since but it never stops moving. I have not paid more than 420 in my last 5 trips, so if it is any higher than that I just wait and check daily until i see my number.

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Mako

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water

I love these guys who complain about ticket prices. Some of us normally pay over $1000 to get to Central-South America.

Devo

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

I have been looking at tickets for Puerto Plata in the DR near Sosua. 700 bucks from Florida. Crazy expensive. I could get to Thailand for 1100.

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I believe in moderation in everything except excess.
I phuck 'em just to see the look on their face.
Klatu, berata, nicto.

Over the years I have come to know a number of Canadian guys and they tend to stay for a longer period of time due to the cost of travel. I have to be honest at the number you are quoting I would not even be in the hobby. I guess I am lucky to be in South Florida where the airfares are much more competitive and reasonable.

Hee Hee. I definitely agree with that to a large extent. I flew an entire career with the airlines and I still don't understand everything about ticket prices. We had an entire department of whiz K*ds and a row of computers at the headquarters that set ticket prices. But there is one thing that the ticket price will always reflect:

What the market will bear. If the ticket prices out of TPA are indeed $800 this year, then I can promise you one thing for 99% certain: the tickets were selling way too good at $400, or whatever last year's price was.

Some other stuff I picked up along the way:

Those $400 tickets are still there, the airline just isn't selling them. They've shelved the "T" booking codes (or whatever that airline's letter is) because, once again, they were selling too many of them too soon. But the airline could release those codes (commonly called "buckets") at any time.

Every year or so, some dumbass on MSNBC or wherever will use historical data to "prove" that tickets are the cheapest at 30 or 40 days out. As soon as that information is made public, the airlines change their pricing schemes to potentially dupe the people who believe that past data indicates future performance. On the other hand, if tickets are underselling, the airline will make sure that at least a few low fares are out at that time so they can catch all of those people who are looking and keep the myth going.

I did hear from an old buddy who's still flying that some airlines are trying to move business to LIR over SJO and are playing hardball with SJO fares to improve their LIR traffic. They want to maintain those LIR routes, and they like LIR because it's much more accessible than SJO (fewer delays and cancellations).

Usually, those super-low prices (fare codes, buckets) come out because one airline starts it. A fare war ensues, and eventually even United is offering $99 one-way. Airlines take this personally when it happens at one of their hubs or focus cities.

bulldog10 is right: unless you work for the airlines in the ticket pricing department, or you're an experienced travel agent, ticket consolidator, etc. you don't understand airline ticket pricing. You can understand it if you put hundreds of hours into it, but keep this in mind: there is a method to ticket pricing; the airlines have teams of people and banks of computers that do this every day, all day; trying to outsmart the airlines on ticket prices is like trying to beat Kasparov at chess. When I was flying I would just ask someone in the sales or marketing department to please let me know when the ticket price was good (no, we don't always fly for free).

Well....it's probably cheaper for you to get to Canada than it is for us!!

A ticket from Charlotte to SJO cost me $750 in 2015. Lowest I purchased is $534. That was in 2011 or so. That same ticket is now $864. Sometimes the regional airports are cheaper. Greenville/Spartanburg SC is about 20% cheaper that my current airport. It's about one hour from me.

I think economic data is starting to indicate a positive outlook in economic conditions. So, airlines are raising their prices; since, in theory, incomes are starting to increase.

I can tell you from working with AA, that it is an expensive airline. Delta tends to be cheaper, but not the case lately.

I would rather fly AA but for $800 is just not worth it. Southwest is around $350 to $500 you just have to fly thru HOU. But coming back into the USA the customs line at HOU is very short cause there aren't very many int flts

Prices for airline tickets and hotel hotels have gone up yes,,however the price of the chicas is still the same it has been for the last 20 years

I am not sure I understand your point. The rising cost of airfare and lodging are two factors that have hurt the hobby in CR. Take for instance if someone were going to CR for a 4 day trip and the airfare was $600-$700, and the hotel was about $100 per night, add in another $100 for airport parking and transportation to and from the airport. The person would be spending more than $1,000 before he had his first session. To me that price is to high and has caused me to look elsewhere (DR in my case) for fun. Not saying CR sucks but it is certainly overpriced right now.

That AA flight sits at $800 now. It still drops down to $300-400 for 1 week every few months. AA is the only DFW-SJO direct flight, period. I've been graphing it trying to find some kind of regular interval. I haven't been able to find a pattern, but it does still drop drastically at random times. When it does drop you can buy at that price for any future date.

I just did a quick search leaving tpa to sjo April 20th through the 24th via spirit its at 326 without taxes and fees.