{
  "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 will usually connect through a U.S. hub to San José or Liberia. San José is the main gateway for culture and cloud forests, while Liberia is best for Pacific coast beaches like Tamarindo. There are no non-stop flights from RDU."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh to Costa Rica, one-stop flights to San José typically take 6 to 8 hours total, while Liberia is often 7 to 9 hours. Return flights are generally similar, though connections and layover durations can add an hour or so."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "There are no year-round non-stop flights from Raleigh–Durham to Costa Rica, though some airlines occasionally operate seasonal service to Liberia. Most itineraries connect through a U.S. hub such as Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta or Charlotte. Total travel time is typically 6 to 9 hours, depending on the connection."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh to Costa Rica you can fly American, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Spirit, or Copa via their hubs. No nonstops currently."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from Raleigh to Costa Rica are May, September, and October, when fares tend to be lowest, while December, July, and January are the most expensive. For the best price, book about 14 to 16 weeks ahead, and aim to depart on a Wednesday — midweek flights are cheaper than weekend ones — with afternoon or early morning departures typically offering the lowest fares. Peak summer and major holiday periods like Christmas and New Year's see prices climb significantly.",
        "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 sweet spot is booking about 14 to 16 weeks ahead, when fares average 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, the capital and gateway, the Arenal area for volcanoes and hot springs, the Pacific coast towns of Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio for beaches, and the Monteverde cloud forest. Most are reachable by short domestic flights or shuttles from San José or Liberia airports."
      },
      "q7": {
        "question": "Do I need a visa to travel from Raleigh to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For United States citizens, no visa is required to travel from Raleigh to Costa Rica for a short tourist visit. Entry is visa-free, and the permitted length of stay is up to 180 days.\n\nThis is general guidance to help you plan, not official immigration advice — entry rules can change and can depend on your nationality and circumstances, so please confirm the current requirements with the relevant embassy or official government source before you travel.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Costa_Rica",
            "title": "Visa policy of Costa Rica",
            "favicon": "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/costa-rica/entry-requirements",
            "title": "Costa Rica entry requirements — GOV.UK",
            "favicon": "https://www.gov.uk/favicon.ico"
          }
        ],
        "preopenedReferences": true,
        "stageOnly": true
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from Raleigh?",
        "answer": "From Raleigh to Costa Rica, the two main international airports are Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia. San José is the main hub with the most flight options and serves as a gateway to the central valley and Pacific coast, while Liberia is closer to Guanacaste beach resorts and popular for regional travel."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "In Costa Rica, the dry season from mid-December to April brings the best weather but also peak crowds and prices. For a balance of good conditions and lower costs, consider July and early August, when a brief dry spell called veranillo offers a break from the rains, or November just before the high season begins."
      },
      "q13": {
        "question": "How do I get to Raleigh Durham Intl Airport from the city center?",
        "answer": "From downtown Raleigh, you can reach Raleigh-Durham International Airport by using the GoTriangle Route 100 bus or the RDU Shuttle, which connect to the Regional Transit Center for wider regional bus links. Ride-share services like Uber and Lyft operate with designated pick-up zones at both terminals, and taxis are available at walk-up stands or by calling Taxi Taxi. Driving and parking are also options, with several on-site lots and garages, and rental car shuttles serve the airport. Ride-share and taxis are typically the most popular and fastest choices from the city center, while public buses offer a cheaper but slower alternative.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://rdu.com/ground-transportation/taxis",
            "title": "Taxis - Raleigh-Durham International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://www.rdu.com/wp-content/themes/rdu/images/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-02-25T20:46:04Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://rdu.com/ground-transportation/bus-and-rail-service",
            "title": "Bus and Rail Service - Raleigh-Durham International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://www.rdu.com/wp-content/themes/rdu/images/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-06-25T16:39:45Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.rdu.com/",
            "title": "Home - Raleigh-Durham International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://www.rdu.com/wp-content/themes/rdu/images/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-07-23T15:57:46Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.rdu.com/ground-transportation/rental-cars/",
            "title": "Rental Cars - Raleigh-Durham International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://www.rdu.com/wp-content/themes/rdu/images/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2025-07-16T17:28:01Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://rdu.com/travel-info/travel-tips",
            "title": "Travel Tips - Raleigh-Durham International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://www.rdu.com/wp-content/themes/rdu/images/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-08-12T14:30:05Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}