{
  "response": {
    "Key": "RDU-CR",
    "orig": {
      "code": "RDU",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "Raleigh",
      "fullCity": "Raleigh, North Carolina",
      "airport": "Raleigh Durham Intl Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "CR",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Costa Rica"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Costa Rica can I fly to from Raleigh?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh you can connect to San José, the capital, or Liberia in Guanacaste. San José is the main hub with more flight options and serves as a gateway to the central valley and Caribbean coast, while Liberia is closer to Pacific beaches and resorts."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh to San José, non-stop flights take about 4 hours 30 minutes southbound and roughly 4 hours northbound. One-stop routes to Liberia or San José typically range from 6 to 9 hours total travel time, depending on the connection."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "There are no non-stop flights from Raleigh to Costa Rica. Most itineraries connect through hubs such as Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte or Dallas, and total travel time typically ranges from about 6½ to 9 hours depending on the routing and layover duration."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh to Costa Rica you can fly American, Delta, United, Southwest, and JetBlue, usually with one stop at their hubs."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from Raleigh to San José are October, May, and September, while December and July are the most expensive; booking about 14 to 16 weeks ahead yields the best fares. Midweek departures — especially Wednesday — are cheaper than weekend flights, and early morning departures tend to offer the lowest prices. Peak summer and major holidays like the December holiday season are typically 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 Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For flights from Raleigh to Costa Rica, the optimal booking window is about 14 to 16 weeks before departure, when average fares drop to around $484.",
        "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": "Top destinations in Costa Rica include San José for culture and connections, Arenal for adventure, Monteverde for cloud forests, Guanacaste for beaches and Manuel Antonio for wildlife and coastline."
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel from Raleigh 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 required, but you must have a valid passport and proof of onward travel. Entry rules can change, so verify current requirements before departure."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from Raleigh?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh to Costa Rica, San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport is the primary entry point with the most U.S. connections and good road access to the central valley and Pacific resorts. Liberia's Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport is better for Guanacaste beaches, though flights from RDU are less frequent and often require a connection."
      },
      "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 is the most popular and expensive. The green season from May to November offers lower prices and fewer crowds, with sunny mornings and afternoon showers typical. The best balance is often May, June, or November, avoiding peak holiday travel."
      }
    }
  }
}