{
  "response": {
    "Key": "AUS-CR",
    "orig": {
      "code": "AUS",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "Austin",
      "fullCity": "Austin, Texas",
      "airport": "Bergstrom Intl Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "CR",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Costa Rica"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Costa Rica can I fly to from Austin?",
        "answer": "From Austin you can fly non-stop to Liberia in Guanacaste on American Airlines seasonally. Otherwise you connect through Houston, Dallas or Miami to either Liberia or San José. Liberia serves Pacific beaches, while San José is the hub for the Central Valley and Caribbean coast."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "There are no non-stop flights from Austin to Costa Rica. One-stop trips to San José usually take 5 to 7 hours, while reaching Liberia often takes 6 to 8 hours depending on the connection. Westbound returns are typically 30 to 60 minutes longer."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "Austin does not currently have non-stop flights to Costa Rica. The most common one-stop routings connect through Houston, Dallas, Miami or Atlanta into San José or Liberia with total travel times typically between 5 and 8 hours depending on the layover."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Austin to Costa Rica you can fly nonstop on American or United, or connect via Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, or Miami on various airlines."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from Austin to Costa Rica are April, May, and January, while December and July are the most expensive, so avoiding peak summer and the winter holidays will help you save. Booking about 6 to 9 weeks ahead typically yields the best fares, and departing on a Monday or in the afternoon tends to be cheaper than weekend or morning flights.",
        "methodology": "This 'good deal' estimate shows a representative best price for each departure date across roughly a 12-month window (about 3 months back and 9 months forward). It is built from real flight prices found by Priceline users searching this route, accumulated into a price history for each departure date. Rather than weighting all of that history equally, we apply exponential time decay so recent prices dominate — a price seen yesterday counts almost in full, one from about a month ago roughly a third, and prices from a few months back very little — giving a figure that tracks today's market instead of a stale long-run average. Clear price outliers are removed before any calculation, departure dates with no observations are filled in from nearby dates, and the resulting curve is lightly smoothed so it reads as a clean seasonal trend rather than day-to-day noise. This booking-window guidance is built from the same real flight prices found by Priceline users searching this route, re-grouped by how many days before departure each price was seen (from the departure day out to about 180 days ahead) across the route's price history. At each booking lead time we report the 25th-percentile price — the cheaper end of what travelers were quoted, rather than the rock-bottom minimum (which can be a fluke) or the average (which is pulled up by expensive last-minute fares). The buy-or-wait advice then applies a risk premium that grows as departure approaches, since seat availability shrinks and prices become less predictable; using that adjusted curve we flag windows where waiting is likely to save a meaningful amount (at least $20 or 5%) versus windows where booking now is the better call. Isolated single-day recommendations are filtered out, so the advice only reflects a window that holds for several days in a row. The cheapest day of the week and time of day to depart are drawn from the same large sample of real fares Priceline users found on this route in the last 72 hours, grouped by the day of the week and by the time-of-day window of the outbound departure, with the lowest and average price reported for each."
      },
      "q5": {
        "question": "How far in advance should I book flights from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For flights from Austin to Costa Rica, the optimal booking window is about 6 to 9 weeks before departure, when average fares hover around $458.",
        "methodology": "This booking-window guidance is built from the same real flight prices found by Priceline users searching this route, re-grouped by how many days before departure each price was seen (from the departure day out to about 180 days ahead) across the route's price history. At each booking lead time we report the 25th-percentile price — the cheaper end of what travelers were quoted, rather than the rock-bottom minimum (which can be a fluke) or the average (which is pulled up by expensive last-minute fares). The buy-or-wait advice then applies a risk premium that grows as departure approaches, since seat availability shrinks and prices become less predictable; using that adjusted curve we flag windows where waiting is likely to save a meaningful amount (at least $20 or 5%) versus windows where booking now is the better call. Isolated single-day recommendations are filtered out, so the advice only reflects a window that holds for several days in a row."
      },
      "q6": {
        "question": "What are the most popular cities to visit in Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "In Costa Rica, most visitors land in San Jose or Liberia. From there, head to Arenal for volcano views and hot springs, Monteverde for cloud forests, Manuel Antonio for beaches and wildlife, or the Osa Peninsula for remote nature."
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "U.S. citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays in Costa Rica of up to 90 days. No electronic travel authorization is currently required, but you must have a valid passport and proof of onward travel. Entry rules can change, so always verify before you depart."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from Austin?",
        "answer": "From Austin to Costa Rica, you will most likely fly into Juan Santamaria International Airport near San Jose, which has the best connections and serves as the country's main hub. For quicker access to Pacific beach resorts, Liberia Guanacaste Airport is a strong alternative, especially during the dry season when more direct flights operate."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For Costa Rica, the best time to visit is from mid-December to April, which is the dry season with plenty of sunshine. July and August offer a brief dry spell with lower prices and fewer crowds. The rainy season from May to November brings heavy showers, especially in September and October, but also lush landscapes and the best deals."
      }
    }
  }
}