{
  "response": {
    "Key": "AUS-CR",
    "orig": {
      "code": "AUS",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "Austin",
      "fullCity": "Austin, Texas",
      "airport": "Bergstrom Intl Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "CR",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Costa Rica"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Costa Rica can I fly to from Austin?",
        "answer": "From Austin you most often fly into San Jose or Liberia. San Jose is the capital and gateway to the central valley and Pacific coast, while Liberia serves the Guanacaste region and its beaches. There are no non-stop flights, so you connect through major U.S. hubs like Dallas, Houston or Miami."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Austin to Costa Rica, one-stop flights to San José or Liberia generally take 5 to 7 hours total, with the return often about 30 minutes shorter. There are currently no non-stop options on this route."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "Yes, non-stop flights from Austin to Costa Rica are available on a seasonal or limited basis. For example, Southwest Airlines sometimes operates non-stop service from Austin to San José, with a flight time of about 3 hours and 45 minutes. If non-stops are not available on your dates, common one-stop routings connect through Houston, Dallas, or Miami, with total travel times typically ranging from 5 to 8 hours depending on the layover."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "From Austin to Costa Rica you often fly American via Dallas or Miami, United via Houston, Delta via Atlanta, Southwest via Houston, and Copa via Panama City."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from Austin to Costa Rica are typically May, April, and June, with May offering the lowest fares on average. Booking about 9 to 12 weeks ahead tends to yield the best prices, and flying on a Tuesday or in the afternoon can also help you save. Peak summer and major holiday periods, especially December, are usually 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. 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. 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 Austin to Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For flights from Austin to Costa Rica, the best time to book is about 9 to 12 weeks before departure, when fares average around $459.",
        "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 Costa Rica destinations include San José for culture and transit, Arenal for volcano views and hot springs, Monteverde for cloud forests, Guanacaste beaches like Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio for wildlife and coast."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Costa Rica are best to fly into from Austin?",
        "answer": "From Austin to Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José offers the most U.S. flights and is the best for connections to most of the country by road or small plane. Daniel Oduber Quirós Airport in Liberia suits travelers heading to Pacific beach resorts in Guanacaste. Costa Rica has no passenger trains for onward travel, so plan for shuttles, rental cars or domestic flights."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica?",
        "answer": "For Costa Rica, December to April is the dry season with sunny skies, but it's also the busiest and priciest. May to August offers a good balance with brief afternoon showers, greener landscapes and lower prices, while September and October see heavy rains."
      },
      "q13": {
        "question": "How do I get to Bergstrom Intl Airport from the city center?",
        "answer": "Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is easily reached from downtown via CapMetro's high-frequency Route 20 bus, which is the main public transit option and the most budget-friendly. Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, along with taxis, offer direct door-to-door service and are the fastest and most popular choice, with drop-off on the upper departures level. Shuttle buses and private car services are also available for scheduled or group travel. Driving yourself is straightforward with on-airport parking garages and lots, though parking costs more than transit or rideshare for short trips.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://austintexas.gov/department/getting-around-austin",
            "title": "Getting Around Austin | Austin Center for Events | AustinTexas.gov",
            "favicon": "https://austintexas.gov/themes/custom/coa_sitestudio_theme/images/favicon/favicon.ico"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://austintexas.gov/department/ground-transportation-barbara-jordan-terminal",
            "title": "Ground Transportation at the Barbara Jordan Terminal | Airport",
            "favicon": "https://austintexas.gov/themes/custom/coa_sitestudio_theme/images/favicon/favicon-airport.png"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://austintexas.gov/page/aus-travel-tips-frequently-asked-questions",
            "title": "AUS Travel Tips & Frequently Asked Questions | Airport",
            "favicon": "https://austintexas.gov/themes/custom/coa_sitestudio_theme/images/favicon/favicon-airport.png"
          },
          {
            "url": "http://www.austintexas.gov/airport",
            "title": "Austin-Bergstrom International Airport | Airport",
            "favicon": "http://www.austintexas.gov/themes/custom/coa_sitestudio_theme/images/favicon/favicon-airport.png"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin%E2%80%93Bergstrom_International_Airport",
            "title": "Austin–Bergstrom International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://en.wikipedia.org/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png",
            "time_published": "2026-09-14T00:16:07Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}