www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Getting to Costa Rica from Western Canada is a night mare. Every site I check gives me between 1200 and 1400 for a flight that makes between two or three stops. It seems like it will take me 25 hours to fly there in total, what a bummer.

Anyone have experience flying out of western Canada (YVR)?

I feel your pain. In most cases the best scenario is to book 2 separate flights using Miami as your hub. As you are in Vancouver you might want to investigate driving to Seattle and flying from there. Here are a couple of good sites that I use.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
http://ca.skyscanner.com/
http://www.qtrip.com/

I would also invest in a membership here. Let me know if you need any help.

Devo

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

You might also try LAX.

I was just sent an alert by Kayak for about $485 LAX-SJO R/T including taxes. TACA has a non-stop flight from LAX leaving about 1:00 AM and arriving about 9:30 AM that is a good flight.

health & happiness to all.................

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It's not the size of the wand that put the rabbit in the hat, it's the magic in it!!!

There is no direct flight from YVR to SJO. Best bet is to book Air Canada with one stop in Toronto, layover is about 3 hours and then your off to Costa Rica, sometimes they have that flight on special around 310 one-way, still comes out to about 500 after tax.

I received your PM indicating that you want to travel in late July-August. I had a quick look and the flights are pricey. I suggest you check back in a few weeks to get a better deal. Here are a few tips that I use to get the best deal.

I usually start searching about 2 months out from my travel date. In most cases I actually book the flight about 3 weeks to 1 month from my travel date. Getting a good rate requires some diligence and frequent searching. After traveling for years I have a good idea of what to pay which helps when it is time to pull the trigger and book the flight.

Flying on weekdays rather than weekends will almost always come in at a better rate. The weekday passenger is more likely to be traveling on business which usually makes for a quieter trip. The weekends have more families and vacation orientated passengers which can be noisy.

Booking a direct flight from Western Canada is rare. Unless there is some sort of sale, I have found that booking 2 separate flights is the best way to go. I almost always use Miami as a hub and sometimes Orlando. Most of my travel these days is to South America with the odd trip to Panama. Some have suggested using Toronto or LA as your hub from your home airport of Vancouver. There are really no right or wrong answers here. Use whatever city gives you the best deal.

I start by searching the flights from my hub (usually Miami) to my destination and get the best rate. I then start searching from Canada to my hub and get the best rate. You really need to watch your connect times especially coming back from Latin American countries. Even if the flight is on time, the Immigration lines at Miami can be a nightmare. I have a credit card with trip interruption insurance which I have used twice so far. Might be a consideration if you plan on traveling allot. As a Canadian I am investigating a service called Nexus which is a program for pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering Canada or the United States which allows its members to enter either country more quickly. If anyone reading this uses this program I would appreciate any feedback.

You might have to spend a night in your hub city to make the flight work. Spending $100 on a room is worth it to save $300 on the flight. Another consideration in flying to CR from Canada in one day is that you will probably arrive in CR late at night dead tired from the flight and connections. Sometimes it’s better to stay overnight in Miami and arrive in CR at noon fresh and ready to go.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Devo

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The most dangerous adversaries are the ones that come with a smile instead of a sword

Hi Question/Devo, I booked my may 11/2011 from YTS - YYZ - SJO return tax incl. for $923. CDN
Flying out on Wed and hunting the web sites pays off. I use itravel2000, redtag.ca & finally A/C.
I usually book directly with A/C. I also check the seat availability graphic to see how empty the flight is.
I just found another gem...YTS - YYZ - HAV return tax incl $815.00 CDN.

For you I'd try to fly south into the USA out of Calgary or another major hub.

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GO Winnipeg JETS!