{
  "response": {
    "Key": "SFO-CR",
    "orig": {
      "code": "SFO",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "San Francisco",
      "fullCity": "San Francisco, California",
      "airport": "San Francisco Intl Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "CR",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Costa Rica"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Costa Rica can I fly to from San Francisco?",
        "answer": "From San Francisco you can fly non-stop to Liberia and San José. Liberia serves Pacific beach destinations like Tamarindo, while San José is the capital and gateway to the Caribbean coast and central highlands. One-stop options via Houston or Miami also connect to smaller airports like Quepos."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from San Francisco to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "Nonstop flights from San Francisco to Liberia typically take about 6 hours southbound and around 6 hours 30 minutes northbound. Flights to San José usually require a stop and range from 8 to 11 hours total, depending on the connection."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "There are currently no non-stop flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica. The most common one-stop routings connect through hubs such as Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, or Panama City, with total travel times typically ranging from about 7 to 10 hours depending on the connection."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from San Francisco to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From SFO to Costa Rica you can fly nonstop on Alaska or United. One-stop options include American, Delta, Copa, JetBlue, and Avianca via their hubs."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from San Francisco to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from San Francisco to Costa Rica are March, April, and May, while December and January are the most expensive, with peak summer and the holiday season also driving prices higher. For the best fare, book about 8 to 11 weeks ahead, and although specific day-of-week data is unavailable, midweek flights (Tuesday and Wednesday) typically offer lower prices than weekend departures on most routes.",
        "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."
      },
      "q5": {
        "question": "How far in advance should I book flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For flights from San Francisco to Costa Rica, the best time to book is about 8 to 11 weeks before departure, when average fares drop to around $744.",
        "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": "Costa Rica's top spots are San Jose for culture and transit, Arenal/La Fortuna for volcano views, Monteverde for cloud forests, Manuel Antonio for beaches and wildlife and the Guanacaste coast for resorts and surfing. Most are reachable by short domestic flights or a few hours' drive."
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel from San Francisco to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "U.S. citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits to Costa Rica of 180 days or less. No electronic travel authorization is currently required, but always verify entry rules before departure as policies can change."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from San Francisco?",
        "answer": "From San Francisco to Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José offers the most frequent nonstop flights and is the best hub for connecting to domestic destinations by road or small plane. Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia is ideal for Pacific coast beach resorts and has seasonal nonstop options. San José works well for exploring the central valley and Caribbean side, while Liberia gives faster access to Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula. Flight times to either airport are roughly 6 to 7 hours southbound and slightly longer on the return. There is no passenger rail network, so onward travel relies on shuttles, rental cars or domestic flights."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For Costa Rica, the best balance of good weather and reasonable prices is typically in the dry season from mid-December to April, but the green season from May to November offers lower prices and fewer crowds, especially in September and October."
      }
    }
  }
}