{
  "response": {
    "Key": "US-SJO",
    "orig": {
      "code": "US",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "United States"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "SJO",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "San José",
      "fullCity": "San José, Costa Rica",
      "airport": "Juan Santamaría Intl Airport"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "From which U.S. cities can I fly to San José?",
        "answer": "Fifteen U.S. cities offer nonstop flights to San José, Costa Rica, with Miami leading the way at 206 weekly flights and a flight time of 3 hours. Orlando follows with 122 weekly flights and a 3 hour 10 minute journey, while New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Denver, Baltimore, and Washington also provide direct service. From Los Angeles the flight takes 5 hours 45 minutes, from San Francisco 6 hours 35 minutes, from New York 5 hours 22 minutes, and from Dallas 4 hours 9 minutes. Travelers from other U.S. cities typically connect through one of these hubs, most often Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, or Houston, with the choice of departure city depending on where you live and the frequency of flights available.",
        "methodology": "The U.S. departure cities with nonstop service to this destination and their weekly frequencies come from our flight-schedule database, which combines published airline timetables, U.S. government schedule data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and observed flight operations from the EUROCONTROL/OpenSky Open Performance Data Initiative (OPDI). We identify every U.S. airport with scheduled nonstop service, group airports into their metropolitan areas, and rank cities by scheduled weekly departures.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "country_to_city"
        ]
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight to San José?",
        "answer": "Nonstop flights from the United States to San José typically take about 3 hours from Miami, 5 hours 22 minutes from New York, and 6 hours 35 minutes from San Francisco. The shortest typical nonstop is 2 hours 55 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, while the longest is 6 hours 35 minutes from San Francisco. Travelers from other U.S. cities can connect through these hubs.",
        "methodology": "Flight times from each U.S. departure city come from our flight-schedule database, which combines published airline timetables, U.S. government schedule data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and observed flight operations from the EUROCONTROL/OpenSky Open Performance Data Initiative (OPDI); the typical time is the median scheduled duration of that city's nonstop services to this destination.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "country_to_city"
        ]
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights to San José?",
        "answer": "The United States has extensive nonstop service to San José, Costa Rica, from fifteen cities. Miami offers the most flights with 206 weekly departures on American, Avianca, Volaris El Salvador, and Sky High, taking about 3 hours. Other key nonstop gateways include Orlando on JetBlue, Frontier, Southwest, and Sky High at 3 hours 10 minutes, New York JFK on United and JetBlue at 5 hours 22 minutes, Dallas on American at 4 hours 9 minutes, Houston on United at 3 hours 42 minutes, Los Angeles on Alaska, United, and Delta at 5 hours 45 minutes, Charlotte on American at 4 hours 22 minutes, Atlanta on Delta and Frontier at 3 hours 58 minutes, Chicago on United and American at 5 hours 7 minutes, San Francisco on United at 6 hours 35 minutes, Fort Lauderdale on JetBlue at 2 hours 55 minutes, Denver on Southwest and United at 5 hours 12 minutes, Baltimore on Southwest at 4 hours 45 minutes, and Washington Dulles on United at 4 hours 58 minutes. Travelers from other cities can connect through any of these hubs.",
        "methodology": "Nonstop service is identified from the scheduled operating flights in our flight-schedule database, which combines published airline timetables, U.S. government schedule data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and observed flight operations from the EUROCONTROL/OpenSky Open Performance Data Initiative (OPDI); a destination with no scheduled nonstop from the United States is reported as having none.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "country_to_city"
        ]
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which U.S. cities are usually cheapest or easiest for flying to San José?",
        "answer": "Raleigh is usually the cheapest U.S. origin for flying to San José, Costa Rica, with round-trip fares from $369, followed closely by Fort Lauderdale at $391. Washington, Boston, New York City, and Denver round out the next cheapest cities, with fares between $410 and $434. Across the country, 21 U.S. cities offer service to San José, with typical round-trip fares around $695.",
        "methodology": "These fares come from a large sample of the real airfares Priceline shoppers found for flights from U.S. departure cities to this destination, grouped by origin city, day of the week, time of day and how far ahead the trip was booked. Prices are round trip in U.S. dollars unless noted and are refreshed regularly.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "dest_flight_pricing"
        ]
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly to San José?",
        "answer": "Major airlines flying from the United States to San José, Costa Rica include American Airlines, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier, Avianca, and Volaris Costa Rica. American and United are Star Alliance members, while Delta belongs to SkyTeam. Nonstop service operates from 15 US cities, including Miami, Orlando, New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Chicago.",
        "methodology": "Airlines are the operating carriers scheduled on nonstop services from each U.S. departure city, taken from our flight-schedule database, which combines published airline timetables, U.S. government schedule data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and observed flight operations from the EUROCONTROL/OpenSky Open Performance Data Initiative (OPDI).",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "country_to_city"
        ]
      },
      "q5": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly to San José?",
        "answer": "Flights from the United States to San José, Costa Rica, are typically cheapest during the rainy season from May to November, with the lowest fares often found in September and October. Booking at least two to three months in advance and flying midweek, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, can yield better prices, while early morning or late night departures tend to be less expensive than midday flights."
      },
      "q6": {
        "question": "How far in advance should I book flights to San José?",
        "answer": "Fares from the United States to San José, Costa Rica are typically lowest when you book about 4 weeks ahead of departure. Keep in mind that holidays and peak travel periods tend to sell out earlier, so you may want to book further out for those dates.",
        "methodology": "These fares come from a large sample of the real airfares Priceline shoppers found for flights from U.S. departure cities to this destination, grouped by origin city, day of the week, time of day and how far ahead the trip was booked. Prices are round trip in U.S. dollars unless noted and are refreshed regularly.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "dest_flight_pricing"
        ]
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel to San José?",
        "answer": "For United States citizens, no visa is required for a short tourist visit to San José, Costa Rica; entry is visa-free for stays of up to 180 days.\n\nThis is general guidance to help you plan, not official immigration advice — entry rules can change and can depend on your nationality and circumstances, so please confirm the current requirements with the relevant embassy or official government source before you travel.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Costa_Rica",
            "title": "Visa policy of Costa Rica",
            "favicon": "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/costa-rica/entry-requirements",
            "title": "Costa Rica entry requirements — GOV.UK",
            "favicon": "https://www.gov.uk/favicon.ico"
          }
        ],
        "preopenedReferences": true,
        "stageOnly": true
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "What is the baggage allowance on flights to San José?",
        "answer": "On flights from the US to San José, standard economy fares typically include one checked bag and a carry-on, but basic economy tickets on airlines like American, United, and Delta often exclude a free checked bag. Premium cabins usually permit two checked bags. Always verify your fare's specific allowance with the airline."
      },
      "q9": {
        "question": "Are overnight or red eye flights available to San José?",
        "answer": "Red‑eye flights from the United States to San José are available, but only from the West Coast: Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) offer overnight nonstop service. These flights typically depart in the late evening and arrive in San José the next morning, which appeals to travelers who want to maximize their day at either end or minimize hotel costs. From most other US gateways, including Miami, Orlando, New York, Dallas, and Houston, flights operate during daytime hours with no red‑eye options.",
        "methodology": "Red-eye availability is flagged from the scheduled local departure and arrival times in our flight-schedule database, which combines published airline timetables, U.S. government schedule data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), and observed flight operations from the EUROCONTROL/OpenSky Open Performance Data Initiative (OPDI), marking services that leave late at night and arrive the following morning.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "country_to_city"
        ]
      },
      "q10": {
        "question": "What time of day is usually cheapest for flights to San José?",
        "answer": "Evening departures tend to be the cheapest time of day for flights from the United States to San José, Costa Rica, with typical round-trip fares around $579 compared to an average of $703 for other departure times.",
        "methodology": "These fares come from a large sample of the real airfares Priceline shoppers found for flights from U.S. departure cities to this destination, grouped by origin city, day of the week, time of day and how far ahead the trip was booked. Prices are round trip in U.S. dollars unless noted and are refreshed regularly.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "dest_flight_pricing"
        ]
      },
      "q11": {
        "question": "Which airport will I arrive at and how do I get from Juan Santamaría Intl Airport to downtown San José?",
        "answer": "You'll arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), which serves San José. There's no train or metro link to the airport, but frequent buses run 24 hours to downtown San José, roughly every 10 minutes during working hours. Licensed taxis are available at the airport, including a special orange airport taxi service, and they accept both colones and U.S. dollars.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jos%C3%A9,_Costa_Rica",
            "title": "San José, Costa Rica",
            "favicon": "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png",
            "time_published": "2026-09-16T18:13:28Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Santamar%C3%ADa_International_Airport",
            "title": "Juan Santamaría International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png",
            "time_published": "2026-09-15T10:14:28Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose,_Costa_Rica",
            "title": "San José, Costa Rica",
            "favicon": "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png",
            "time_published": "2026-03-10T11:49:05Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Santamaria_International_Airport",
            "title": "Juan Santamaría International Airport - Wikipedia",
            "time_published": "2005-03-20T00:00:00Z"
          }
        ]
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "Which cabin and seat options are typical on flights to San José?",
        "answer": "Flights to San José typically feature economy and a domestic-style first class recliner seat marketed as business class. A few widebody aircraft occasionally offer lie-flat seats. Dedicated premium economy is rare. Separate international first class does not appear on this route."
      },
      "q13": {
        "question": "Are there hotels or sleeping facilities at San José airport?",
        "answer": "San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport has no on-site hotel, capsule hotel, or sleeping pods, and there are no dedicated rest areas or cots inside the terminal. For uninterrupted sleep, you'll need to take a shuttle to a nearby hotel — options like Courtyard San Jose Airport Alajuela, Fairfield by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn San Jose Airport City Mall, Holiday Inn Express, and Hampton Inn & Suites are all within 0.7 miles and offer free airport shuttle service. Inside the terminal, the Alajuela Zone has some green couches and benches that can be used for sleeping, though seating is limited and the area fills up quickly.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.hilton.com/en/locations/costa-rica/san-jose/sjo-juan-santamaria-international-airport/",
            "title": "Hotels near Juan Santamaria International Airport, San José, Costa Rica - Find Hotels - Hilton",
            "time_published": "2025-08-21T00:00:00Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://sleepinginairports.net/guides/san-jose-airport-guide-cr.htm",
            "title": "San Jose Airport Guide (SJO) - Sleeping in Airports",
            "favicon": "https://www.sleepinginairports.net/nitropack_static/oBWrHkPujHTPIaVWqdDSDhClXUyrYhhb/assets/images/optimized/rev-b853180/www.sleepinginairports.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-sia-logo-180x180.png",
            "time_published": "2018-10-02T00:00:18Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sjoxc-city-express-san-jose-costa-rica/overview/",
            "title": "City Express San José Costa Rica: Hotel 7.4 km from Airport",
            "time_published": "2024-10-11T00:00:00Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.sleepinginairports.net/reviews/sjo-san-jose-airport-reviews.htm",
            "title": "San Jose (Costa Rica) Airport Reviews (SJO) – Sleeping in Airports",
            "favicon": "https://www.sleepinginairports.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-sia-logo-180x180.png"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://activities.marriott.com/north-america/costa-rica/alajuela/activities/costa_rica_sjo_airport_to_san_jos%C3%A9_hotels_nearby_private_shuttle-XF7A2K?property=SJOAP",
            "title": "Costa Rica SJO Airport to San José Hotels nearby Private Shuttle",
            "time_published": "2026-05-04T00:00:00Z"
          }
        ]
      },
      "q14": {
        "question": "What are the best airport lounge options at San José airport?",
        "answer": "At San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport, the best lounge options are the VIP Lounge Costa Rica and the VIP Santamaria. The VIP Lounge Costa Rica, also branded as the Copa Club, is accessible with Priority Pass, Amex Platinum, or a day pass, and offers showers, Wi-Fi, flight monitors, and complimentary beer, wine, and spirits. The VIP Santamaria is a separate lounge in the terminal with similar hours and pre-booking available. Business-class passengers on Copa and other partner airlines typically receive complimentary access to the Copa Club lounge.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.prioritypass.com/es-LA/lounges/costa-rica/juan-santamaria-international/sjo-vip-lounge-costa-rica",
            "title": "VIP Lounge Costa Rica SJO AIRPORT Aeropuerto Internacional de San José | Priority Pass",
            "favicon": "https://www.prioritypass.com/icon.png?a4ff481221414a5c"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/costa-rica/juan-santamaria-international",
            "title": "Juan Santamaría International Airport SJO Lounges - SJO Airport Guide and lounges. | Priority Pass",
            "favicon": "https://prioritypass.com/icon.png?icon.1k7202wk2zqql.png?dpl=1f82db4e-b1f8-481b-b911-c24ef915cc46",
            "time_published": "2026-08-18T11:40:12Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://americanexpress.com/en-xb/travel/lounges/the-platinum-card/SJO/vip-lounge-costa-rica-main-terminal-S1EkiosP1I",
            "title": "VIP Lounge Costa Rica (Copa Club) at Juan Santamaría International Airport | Amex XB",
            "favicon": "https://www.americanexpress.com/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://aa.com/web/i18n/travelInformation/destinationInformation/sjo-airport.html",
            "title": "San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)",
            "favicon": "https://aa.com/content/images/chrome/rebrand/favicon.png"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://americanexpress.com/en-us/travel/lounges/the-platinum-card/SJO/vip-lounge-costa-rica-copa-club-main-terminal-S1EkiosP1I",
            "title": "VIP Lounge Costa Rica (Copa Club) at Juan Santamaría International Airport | Amex US",
            "favicon": "https://www.americanexpress.com/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"
          }
        ]
      },
      "q15": {
        "question": "What is the cheapest day of the week to fly to San José?",
        "answer": "The cheapest day of the week to fly from the United States to San José is Tuesday, with a typical fare of $386 compared to the weekly average of $414. Midweek departures, especially Tuesday, tend to beat weekend travel on this route.",
        "methodology": "These fares come from a large sample of the real airfares Priceline shoppers found for flights from U.S. departure cities to this destination, grouped by origin city, day of the week, time of day and how far ahead the trip was booked. Prices are round trip in U.S. dollars unless noted and are refreshed regularly.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "dest_flight_pricing"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}