Juan Santamaría International Airport

Juan Santamaría International Airport, Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría,  is located in Alajuela about 20 km from downtown San José, Costa Rica. It is a hub airport for TACA/Lacsa, and focus city airport for Copa Airlines. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero Juan Santamaría, a courageous drummer boy who died in 1856 defending his country against forces led by US-American filibuster William Walker. The airport, which is Costa Rica's primary international airport, serves a great number of tourists from Canada, Europe and the United States. There are three other international airports in the country, but of those only the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste is served by major airlines. Currently, Juan Santamaría with 4.1 million passengers, is the second busiest airport in Central America after Tocumen International Airport in Panamá.

The airport's main runway allows for operations of large, widebody aircraft. Currently some scheduled flights are operated with Airbus A330 and A340, and Boeing 747 and 767, for both passengers and freight. A Concorde landed in the year 1999 for that year's airshow. The airport's major airlines are TACA/Lacsa with its international network and TACA's subsidiary Sansa for domestic flights. The airport has also a small hangar (called the "NASA" hangar) where they keep research aircraft that operate in Costa Rica. Among the most relevant aircraft operated from this hangar is the WB-57F high altitude aircraft.

The Costa Rican government charges a $26 USD departure fee, which can be paid in cash (U.S. dollars or equivalent in Colones) or may be paid by Credit Card. The fee can be paid at the airport or in advance at most hotels and banks.

Lounges

A business/VIP lounge is located in the lower level of the main terminal, across gate 4A. 'VIP Lounge Costa Rica' is the only lounge of this kind in the Juan Santamaria airport, and is exclusively for business/first class passengers of selected airlines, travel companies, banks, Priority Pass program members. Also, any passenger can use the lounge for a fee.

A Diplomatic Receptions Room is situated in the main terminal and only open to Diplomatic visitors.

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Operations and administration

The airport was operated by Alterra Partners from 2001 to 2009 as part of a plan to improve the airport by the Costa Rican government. As of July 1, 2009, the privately owned Houston-based Canadian-American company ADC & HAS and the Brazilian company, Andrade Gutierrez Concessoes (AGC) - subsidiary of the conglomerate Andrade Gutierrez - took over the operations and administration of Alterra Partners as the previous operators and administrators (AGI, Bechtel, SRL) had mismanaged the airport and its construction and were in non-compliance of the concession contract. The debt financing was arranged through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). In Dec 2009, Alterra Partners changed its name to AERIS Holdings, S.A. and the new operators/administrators of the concession installed a new management team with the objective of making it a world class airport. The management team is composed of Carlos Plass as CEO (former CEO of Santiago International Airport in Chile), Tom Bartlett as COO (former COO of the Houston Airport System in Houston) and Rafael Mencia as CFO (former CFO of Aerodom, the company managing the concession for Santo Domingo Airport and five other airports in the Dominican Republic). Under this management, the construction for the expansion of the terminal is on schedule and is expected to be completed by Dec 1, 2010, with part of the terminal (including the new immigration hall) to be inaugurated May 1, 2010.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Main Terminal 

The major operator in the airport is TACA/LACSA, followed by Copa Airlines, Continental Airlines and American Airlines. The following airlines have scheduled direct services to and/or from Juan Santamaría International Airport (as of September 2010):

Sansa Terminal 

All domestic flights depart from the Sansa Terminal.

Airlines Destinations Terminal

Aeroméxico Mexico City M

Air Canada Toronto-Pearson M

Air Panama David M

Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson M

American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami

Seasonal: New York-JFK 

Avianca operated by Lacsa Bogotá 

Condor Frankfurt via Santo Domingo 

Continental Airlines Houston-Intercontinental, Newark 

Copa Airlines Guatemala City, Managua, Panama City, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa 

Copa Airlines Colombia Bogotá, Guatemala City, Panama City 

Delta Air Lines Atlanta 

Frontier Airlines Seasonal: Denver

Iberia Madrid 

JetBlue Airways Orlando

Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale

TACA Airlines Guatemala City, Mexico City, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa

TACA Airlines operated by Lacsa Bogotá, Caracas, David, Guayaquil, Havana, Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Medellín, Miami, New York-JFK, Panama City, Quito, San Salvador, Santo Domingo

TACA Peru Lima

TACA Airlines operated by Aeroperlas Panama-Albrook [begins May 16, 2011]

TACA Regional operated by Sansa Airlines Barra del Colorado, Bocas del Toro, Coto 47, Drake Bay, Golfito, Liberia, Limon, Managua, Nosara, Palma Sur, Puerto Jimenez, Punta Islita, Quepos, Tamarindo, Tambor, Tortuguero S

US Airways Charlotte

Seasonal: Philadelphia, Phoenix

Costa Rica Travel Guide

Located in Central America right between Panama and Nicaragua, the sun kissed country of Costa Rica is surrounded by the North Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea on either side. Though these geographical details can be read up in any high school textbook, this isn’t the only reason why this gorgeous nation draws over a million tourists to it every year. So, if you are planning on traveling to Costa Rica this season, it would be wise to do your homework first and acquire a few basic details and travel information about the country. There are many travel magazines and websites dedicated to educating and providing useful insights to travel enthusiasts about the beauty of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica boasts of a wild yet beautiful wildlife that ranges from crocodiles and sloths to poison-dart frogs and large lizards. You could go on forest treks wherein you’ll get to experience the incredible flora and fauna of this nation. From exotic bird sightings to butterflies and insects hovering all over, visiting Costa Rica is an out of the world experience.

Yes, the country indeed boasts of a fascinating wildlife along with multiple ecosystems that coexist to preserve and maintain the natural reserves. Despite of the political unrest that exists within its neighboring countries, Costa Rica has still maintained absolute peace and harmony with all its neighbors. Throughout its vast and lonely stretch of coastline, tourists can laze on the beaches and soak up the sun or opt for a number of entertaining activities like surfing, snorkeling, swimming and fishing.

Costa Rica is home to a number of rain forests and several active volcanoes. When traveling in Costa Rica, you can choose your preferred mode of transport – right from rental cars to the public transport – traveling within the country is safe. Guides will allow travel freaks to gather enough information pertaining to accommodation and travel agencies. There are many Costa Rica travel packages available today that can help by making your holiday a lot more organized, and more affordable to say the least. To gain an upper edge when traveling within this beautiful country, it would be wise to first collect whatever useful information you can come across before venturing forth.

Costa Rica Travel Information

Before going ahead and booking your Cost Rica travel vacation, here are a couple of things you need to know about the country, which could come of use to you when traveling:
Weather – Because it lies in the Tropical zone, Costa Rica experiences two main seasons – the dry season (mid December to April) and the rainy season or winter. San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica experiences temperatures that range from 67 degrees Fahrenheit to 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowlands on the other hand are warmer while the coastal regions are humid.
The Best Time to Go – Because the temperatures in Costa Rica are more or less consistent, it is considered to be one of the hottest vacation spots for travelers all year round! However, the country draws the most tourists between the months of December and April. Christmas and spring break are the busiest times of the year.
Transportation – From traveling by air and car rentals to ferry services, ships and taxis, transportation is not a problem in Costa Rica. So, if you were worried about traveling within the country, then you can relax a bit more. Both, international as well as domestic carriers serve the nation daily.
Places to Go to – Costa Rica has a number of spots for sightseeing – Paolo Verde National Park, Buena Vista Hot Springs, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Canopy Tour and Water Slide, Tabacon Hot springs and Arenal Volcano, Poas Volcano and Grecia-Sarchi, Tortuga Island, Butterfly Farm, San Jose City Tour, Braulio Carrillo National Park, Central Valley ATV Tour, Reventazon River Rafting Class III and Pacuare River Rafting Class III-IV are just a few of the places you can go to!
Things to Do – With so many reserves and national parks, Costa Rica provides opportunities for a large number of outdoor recreational activities like trekking, river rafting, scuba diving, mountaineering, cycling and other such activities. If you enjoy forests and mountains, you can go in for rainforest safaris, volcano expeditions, climbing, ATV driving, horseback riding, cave explorations and tree house lodging. If you are into water-based activities, then you can go in for jet skiing, scuba diving, floating, kayaking, windsurfing, surfing and snorkeling.
Costa Rica Travel Packages

When going through the various Costa Rica travel packages, always choose the one that will provide you with everything that you want. Costa Rica travel packages vary from being economic to extremely luxurious – so choose carefully. Regardless of your choice, going on a Costa Rica travel package will give you the freedom to explore and discover the awe-inspiring beauty of Costa Rica.

So, choose a vacation package that will allow you to do all those things that you want to. At the end of your stay in this country, you should be left wanting more.

Yes, Costa Rica offers the best and most magical combination of active volcanoes, verdant rainforests, lush green plantations, white sandy beaches and an excellent tourist infrastructure in the form of resorts and hotels. Besides this, Costa Rica is now the most popular wedding and honeymoon destination in the world. With the right holiday package, your Costa Rica travel vacation should be a raging success!