{
  "response": {
    "Key": "PDX-CR",
    "orig": {
      "code": "PDX",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "Portland",
      "fullCity": "Portland, Oregon",
      "airport": "Portland Intl Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "CR",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Costa Rica"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Costa Rica can I fly to from Portland?",
        "answer": "From Portland you most often connect through Houston, Dallas, or Los Angeles to reach San José or Liberia. San José is near the central mountains and volcanoes, while Liberia gives easier access to the Pacific beach resorts of Guanacaste."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from Portland to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Portland to Costa Rica, there are no non-stop flights. Typical one-stop itineraries to San José take about 8 to 10 hours, while Liberia often takes a similar 9 to 11 hours. Westbound returns are usually 1 to 2 hours shorter due to tailwinds."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from Portland to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "There are no non-stop flights from Portland to Costa Rica. Most itineraries connect through major U.S. hubs like Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, or Miami, with airlines such as United, American, Alaska, or Delta. Total travel time typically ranges from about 8 to 12 hours depending on the layover, with flights arriving at San José or Liberia."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from Portland to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Portland to Costa Rica you often fly Alaska, American, Delta, United, Southwest, or Copa via their hubs."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from Portland to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from Portland to Costa Rica are May, April, and October, while December and peak summer are the most expensive. Midweek departures — especially Wednesday — tend to be cheaper than weekend flights, and early morning departures offer the lowest fares. Booking about 6 to 9 weeks ahead typically yields the best prices.",
        "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 Portland to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For flights from Portland to Costa Rica, the sweet spot is booking 6 to 9 weeks ahead, when fares average around $537, though the absolute lowest price of $527 appears at about 45 days out.",
        "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. Stop counts, connecting hubs, and per-airline prices are drawn from a large sample of the real fares Priceline users found on this route in the last 72 hours. We group those fares by number of stops, by the hub airport a connection routes through, and by operating airline, and report each group's share of the sample alongside its lowest and median price."
      },
      "q6": {
        "question": "What are the most popular cities to visit in Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "In Costa Rica, travelers often visit San José as the main entry point, the Arenal area for volcano and hot springs, Monteverde for cloud forests, Guanacaste for Pacific beaches like Tamarindo, and the Caribbean coast around Puerto Viejo for wildlife and laid-back vibes."
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel from Portland to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "U.S. citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays in Costa Rica of up to 90 days, but you must have a valid passport and proof of onward travel. No electronic travel authorization is required, though entry rules can change, so check official sources before departure."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from Portland?",
        "answer": "From Portland, you will likely connect through a larger U.S. hub to reach Costa Rica. San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport is the primary gateway with the most long-haul options and connections to domestic flights and buses. Liberia's Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport is better for Pacific beach resorts like Guanacaste, though it has fewer direct international flights. Costa Rica has no passenger trains, so onward travel relies on flights, shuttles, or rental cars."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "Costa Rica's dry season from December to April offers sunny skies but peak prices. For a balance of good weather and lower costs, visit during the green season from May to June or November, when rains are lighter and crowds thin out."
      }
    }
  }
}