{
  "response": {
    "Key": "HOU-CR",
    "orig": {
      "code": "HOU",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "Houston",
      "fullCity": "Houston, Texas",
      "airport": "William P Hobby Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "CR",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Costa Rica"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Costa Rica can I fly to from Houston?",
        "answer": "From Houston you can fly non-stop to both San José and Liberia. San José is the capital and main gateway for central Costa Rica, while Liberia serves the Pacific coast and Guanacaste beaches. One-stop options via Miami or Panama City also connect to San José."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from Houston to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Houston to San José, non-stop flights typically take about 3 hours 40 minutes southbound and around 4 hours northbound. One-stop options to Liberia or San José usually range from 5 to 8 hours depending on the connection."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from Houston to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "Yes, non-stop flights are available from Houston (IAH) to both San José and Liberia, Costa Rica. United Airlines serves San José year-round and Liberia seasonally, with flight times around 3½ to 4 hours. If your dates don't align with a non-stop, one-stop options via Atlanta, Miami, or Panama City typically take 6 to 9 hours total."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from Houston to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "United flies non-stop to San José and Liberia. Southwest and Spirit also serve Costa Rica. One-stop via American, Delta, Copa or Avianca."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from Houston to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from Houston to Costa Rica are April, October, and May, with April offering the lowest average fares. Midweek departures — especially Wednesday — tend to be cheaper than weekend flights, and midday departures often have the best prices. For the lowest fare, book about 14 to 17 weeks ahead, and expect peak summer and the December holidays to be significantly more expensive.",
        "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 Houston to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For flights from Houston to Costa Rica, the best time to book is about 14 to 17 weeks ahead, when fares average around $645.",
        "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, San José is the main gateway, then head to La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano, the beaches of Guanacaste or Manuel Antonio National Park and Monteverde for cloud forests and adventure."
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel from Houston to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "U.S. citizens traveling from Houston to Costa Rica for a short tourist visit generally do not need a visa. You will need a valid passport and may be asked to show proof of onward travel. Entry rules can change, so verify the latest requirements before departure."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from Houston?",
        "answer": "From Houston to Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José offers the most direct flights and serves as the country’s main gateway, connecting easily to domestic flights, shuttles, and rental cars for beaches, volcanoes, and cloud forests. Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport is a strong alternative if your focus is the Guanacaste coast and Pacific beach resorts, with nonstop options from Houston. There are no trains for onward travel, so plan on domestic flights, shuttles, or rental cars."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For Costa Rica, the dry season from mid-December to April offers the best weather but is busiest and priciest. The green season from May to mid-November sees fewer crowds and lower prices, with sunnier mornings common even during rainy afternoons."
      }
    }
  }
}