Domestic flights in Costa Rica

Domestic flights in Costa Rica

For most of her journeys in Costa Rica, Charlie had been travelling by bus. That was more budget-friendly and she didn’t have to pay that much attention to the weight of her luggage. However, at a certain point, the time-saving made sense and Charlie wanted to experience a domestic flight in Costa Rica.

Since Charlie would have liked to have some information about the airport amenities beforehand, here’s an overview of domestic airports in Costa Rica (that Charlie has seen from the inside):

Airport	Toilets	Coffee Shop	Souvenir shop	Waiting room	Water fountain
Limón	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
San José	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Puerto Jiménez	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Quepos	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Cobano	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

 

From Limón to San José

Charlie’s visit to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica involved a few days in Puerto Viejo, in Limón and in Tortuguero. She got to Puerto Viejo from San José with a shuttle service by Caribeshuttle. From Puerto Viejo to Limón, she got a public bus and to and from Tortuguero, it was a taxi ride and a boat trip.

Limón Airport

To return from Limón to San José, Charlie had booked a flight with Sansa. She took a taxi to the airport in Limón and she didn’t know what to expect. She barely found any information about this airport online and as it turned out, there wasn’t much to say about it either. It is a relatively small building with a seating area and restrooms. There are no shops or cafés at this airport, only a  water fountain to refill your bottle.

Luggage and security checks

The luggage restrictions on Sansa flights are quite strict and limited. Charlie was travelling with photography equipment and was prepared to have to pay extra. Her check-in bag was weighed and it was perfectly within the limit. There was no weight limit for hand luggage, however she was asked to step on the scale holding her bag. The women at the desk made a note of it and that was it.

Charlie stepped to the table next to it where a security officer was inspecting bags. There are no luggage scanners at the airport in Limón and you can take water with you. Liquids don’t need to be in a separate bag. The luggage will be checked manually and you might be asked a few questions. The process is very easy.

From Limón to San José on time?

The flight time had already been changed by 30 minutes a few days before. And when it was time to fly, the woman from the check-in desk came into the waiting room to inform passengers that there was a delay. Apparently the plane hadn’t left San José yet. For some of the passengers, this was bad news because they had international connection flights. After this experience, Charlie would recommend to plan your travels in Costa Rica in a way that allows for enough time between flights. There are plenty of hotels near the airport for reasonable prices.

With an hour’s delay the plane finally arrived and the bags were loaded into the hold. The 12 passengers boarded the plane via a small ladder, fastened their seat belts and took off to the air. It was a small plane that offered amazing views over the landscape, but also made you feel every bit of turbulence a bit more.

Another tip: Bring a light sweater as the AC in the waiting room at Limón Airport was strong and Charlie felt a bit chilly.

From San José to Puerto Jiménez

The next day, Charlie had a flight to the Osa Peninsula for a Yoga Retreat. She returned to the domestic terminal at San José Airport an hour before the flight. At this airport, things looked a bit more like you would expect them to be. The whole process though wasn’t that different. Charlie went straight to the counter and there was no queue. Her luggage was put on the scale and she was checked in for her flight. For this one, her luggage allowance was less than for the other flight from Limón and her luggage was a little over-weight. They didn’t charge her though. She got lucky.

Security checks at San José Domestic Aiport

The security checks were automated this time, not manually. As usual, Charlie put her hand luggage through the scanner. She was allowed to have water and liquids. Again, there was no queue and she made through security quickly.

There were at least 50 people sitting in the waiting room on the other side which surprised her a little. There must have been other flights going at the same time as hers. She had about 30 minutes until boarding time and there was a café and a restroom available.

She waited until the last minute and was even called out over speakers. Whoopsie!

Flight to Puerto Jiménez

Just as the flight from Limón, it was a small machine with 12 passengers and two pilots. Charlie got on last, but still got a front-row seat right behind the pilots. What a view! They flew over the mountains towards the Pacific Coast and over the Golfo Dulce. The views were stunning and the water surface almost looked like ice in parts. Charlie also spotted the famous whale tail – sand bank near Uvita that has the shape of a whale tail.

They landed in Puerto Jiménez and Charlie couldn’t even see the airport. There was literally a gate next to the landing strip, a cemetery and a few small houses. One of those houses had an office for Sansa where passengers would check in. Certainly the smallest airport she has ever seen!

Return from Puerto Jiménez to San José

After the Yoga retreat in the Osa Peninsula, Charlie and the other retreat participants had a shared taxi from the retreat location to the airport in Puerto Jiménez. Most of them were booked on the morning flight at 9.30 a.m., Charlie and Libby however had a ticket for the afternoon flight at 3.30 p.m. They were about to go into town when the women who did the check-ins came to ask about two other passengers she knew were part of the group. They knew that those two people wouldn’t show up. Charlie and Libby looked at each other: “Does that mean there are two seats on that plane?” They followed her to the desk to check if they could take those two seats on the 9.30 flight instead of the 3.30 flight. It was possible. A mere 15 minutes before take-off, they checked in and walked over to the plane.

From Cobano to San José

Charlie had spent a few weeks in Santa Teresa; on the way there she took a shuttle from the airport in San José, for the return she chose to fly to safe a bit of time. There is a small domestic airport in the town of Cobano which is about a 30 minutes’ drive from Santa Teresa. Charlie got there by Easy Hop which you can easily book online. She was picked up from her accommodation and dropped off in front of the airport. The price was USD 17.

The airport in Cobano is similar in size to the one in Limón. Additionally, there is a small coffee shop and a souvenir shop. This time, Charlie flew with a different airline, Costa Rica Green Airways. It wasn’t any different to a flight with Sansa: You go to the desk, check-in, they weigh your luggage and you receive your ticket. The only thing that was different this time was that the flight was early.

Charlie had arrived at the airport early and went to the check-in desk to find out if she could drop her luggage already. It all went smoothly and just as she sat down in the waiting area, her flight was called. She checked the time and checked again. It was still more than 30 minutes until her flight time, but they were guided to the airplane and took off ahead of time.

There was one other difference to a Sansa flight. There was a cooling box with water and beer waiting at the airplane and all passengers were invited to serve themselves.

From Quepos to San José

After Envision festival Charlie stayed a few more days in the area, in Uvita and in Dominical, before heading back to the Nicoya peninsula. It was not possible to get a shuttle transfer for just one person, so it was best for her to return to San José and get a shuttle to Samara from there. To save some time, Charlie decided to fly to the capital and take a shuttle with Interbus the next day.

The closest airport to Dominical was Quepos and you could get there by public transport. Charlie was not able to find a reliable bus timetable. All she found were three completely different pieces of information. She was fully prepared to get to the bus stop for the first bus on the list and then wait until it would show up. She was prepared for a lot of waiting, either at the bus stop or at the airport in Quepos. Just as she was about to leave the hostel, a fellow traveller started a conversation. He had a private transfer to San José booked for that same afternoon. Charlie knew that the route to the capital passes by the airport in Quepos. So she asked if it was possible for her to jump in the car and split the cost. It was! That saved Charlie a lot of waiting. By car, it only took 40 minutes from Dominical to Quepos Airport.

Charlie arrived at the airport at 3 p.m. and her flight was scheduled for 4.30 p.m. She asked if she could already check in and it was possible. The luggage checks were the same as in any other domestic airport in Costa Rica: put the check-in bag on the scale, then put yourself with your hand luggage on the scale. Take a seat and wait.

Charlie sat down in the waiting area and started writing this blog post when she was suddenly called to walk towards the airplane, at 3.30 p.m. – an hour before the scheduled flight time. At first, it looked as if she was the only passengers until two more showed up. They were up in the air by 3.40 p.m. and landed in San José at 4 p.m. Flights with Costa Rica Green Airways always seem to be a bit earlier.

Frequently Asked Questions about domestic flights in Costa Rica