www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I have a 9:15 a.m. flight tomorrow morning. When should I leave Sportsmen's Lodge? Will I have any trouble finding a taxi in the morning? I have not bought my exit stamp yet, so I need to allow time for that. Do I do that before or after checking in with my airline?

Bruce

once in the airport it takes about 20 mins to go wait at your gate ...very quick...cab from the sportmens runs 25 ..try to share it with someone...dont leave 3 hours or even 2 hours before flight 19 trips never more than 30 mins to get through customs and to the gate ....now miami is a different story ....

Sunday is a big return to the US travel day. The exit tax is very quick, but depending on which airline you fly, the wait and baggage check can take time. Security is quick. I would leave SL 3 hours before flight time and if you get tax, gate pass and security quickly, then relax, enjoy the coffee markets and free samples. The rumble of my carry on bag when I arrive is music to my ears and that same rumble when I leave is a heart-breaker.

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

Gringo is right. Depends a lot on the airline. Spirit has 1 speed...S L O W..and never enough agents to check in a full flight. AA goes much faster, IMO. Never flown Continental or Taca down there. If you absolutely can't miss your flight, why risk it.

The official recommendation for all international flights is 2 hours. I think Chili is correct that it very rarely takes that long and you wind up waiting for a while at the gate. HOWEVER, I think his 20 minute estimate is definitely on the short side. Sure, it might only take that long, but lines that usually though not always move fairly quickly are not uncommon. As GM pointed out, Sunday IS a big return day AND SJO has a bad practice of scheduling a lot of flights around the same time, so it is certainly possible that you could run into some delays. I would err on the conservative side and get there early, though perhaps not actually full 2 hours before your departure. IMMHO, it is better to show up too early and have to wait around then to arrive there too late and discover, as your luck would have it, that one time there were long delays and then ultimately miss your flight after waiting anxiously in slow moving lines.

As for the cab thing, I'd be very surprised if it even took as long as 30 minutes to get to the airport from the SL that early on Sunday morning. If you're nervous about delays from having to find a cab that early in the morning then I'd simply speak to the front desk (or directly to your favorite driver) the day before about arranging a ride at your chosen hour.

I'd say if you leave around 7 or maybe a little later to give you time to wolf down some toast and coffee, you should be fine. If your driver is a little late (or you are), you probably won't get there a full 2 hours before but you should still have plenty of safety buffer.

BTW, if you don't have time to have a proper breakfast before your driver picks you up, here's another suggestion. The foodstalls at the airport are ridiculously overpriced (as they are at every airport). Once you've taken care of your exit stamp, checked your luggage and gotten your boarding pass, IF you have enough time left over (as you probably will) and before you go through security, go back outside the airport. There is supposed to be a pretty good soda right across the street that will be much more reasonably priced than anything you'll find back inside. If you go early, you'll have that option. If you play it too tight, you may not. Since you wouldn't be taking any time to eat breakfast before you leave SL, you probably wouldn't have to get up that much earlier to leave SL early and you'd be getting all the uncertain stuff out of the way first so that you can have a more leisurely and enjoyable breakfast.

In my experience with the Costa Rica airports...the long lines are usually due to most of the travelers showing up 1 1/2 to 2 hours early thus making the line long at those times...

if you wait a while and show up 45 minutes before boarding you won't have a problem...especially in CR where there is usually only one international flight leaving at a time

also, they definitely won't leave you standing in a line and fail to board you on the plane

Each airline may differ.Most of the time it is pretty quick thru the exit tax line,and check in.Wed.11-19 Delta it took me 10 minutes to buy the exit tax cert.,check in and go thru security.I had a friend arrive less than an hour prior to his AA flight,no checked bags,REJECTED,due to not being in the customs system an hour in front.Took two days to get the next AA flight to Dallas.YMMV Buena Suerte....!

It varies so much. I have been there two hours early and barely made it on the plane in time and have been there other times when it took no more than 15 minutes to pay the exit tax, check in, clear immigration and get through the screening search.

It also depends on: if you can use the preferred flyer lines; if the tax line is not overcrowded, if the airline's computers are working, if there is no accident on the pista, etc.

It may be simply a personal thing but to me it is unnerving to feel panicked trying to make a flight so I live by the two hour rule. It is better for my blood pressure.

I agree. Wait times are all over the map. I flew back to the US a week ago Sunday and the line for CO was out the door! Never seen anything like it before.

Exit tax and security lines weren't too bad. I don't know if CO was having a problem or what. They were checking in for 2 flights. One to Newark, the other to Houston. I was there 2 hours before flight time and barely had time to hit the duty free (Be sure to load up on booze on the way home!), eat some lunch and have a potty break before boarding began.

Be safe and give yourself some cushion. There are plenty of ways to kill a little time in the terminal.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

Also, if you go on Continental, make sure you are in the right line. One time I walked into the airport and there was a line which stretched out the door. I asked the people in line if it was the line for Continental. I did not know Continental had one line for Newark and one for Houston. Since they said it was the line for Continental, I got in the rear of the line.

As time passed quickly and the line did not, it became evident that if I did not do something I would miss the flight. I asked a Continental representative what I should do. He directed me to the Houston line. Like a dummy, I was in the wrong line.

Although it is embarrassing to admit to being so ill-advised, my experience is offered in hopes that others will not spend time in the wrong line.

I'll be staying at the SL , and also departing on a Sunday in Jan. Is it possible to pay for the exit tax in advance at the hotel?

Yes. I learned about it on another thread.

You can go to the Banco Costa Rica located in the INS building which is about two minutes walk from the SL. the Banco Costa Rica branch is on the mezzanine level, up the escalators. Just ask the guard and he will point the way. If you go in the morning there should be little or not wait. Take your passport and your $26 cash, US money.

I have never in 30 plus trips been delayed by the departure tax. The problem has always been with the Delta counter, Always a wait, sometimes 46 minutes or so. The last problem I want is a time hassle on top of my depression on leaving. I support the two hour policy.

9:15 am? That's brutal. I bet that's the last time you schedule that early. I've heard from Jose, Gustavo, Jimmy etc.. all the samething. 2 hours is best unless you leave on a Friday after 1:00pm then allot an extra 45 minutes as this is one of the busiest times out in the streets for traffic particularly around the airport.

A better thing to get a heads up on is checkout at SL. You have to wait for the maids to tally up your room and sometimes that can happen quick, and other times not.

Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

I would think it would take longer to check the room out after you treated it like your own personal porn studio