www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Since you guys were so helpful with advice over in the "Newbies" forum, here I go bothering you some more.

Looks like there are three common aiports to layover at on most BOS < - > SJO routings:

Most routings on UA/CO have me laying over at IAH.
DL has me laying over at ATL.
AA has me laying over at MIA.

Any reason to prefer, or avoid, any of the three airports for a layover, customs/immigration coming back, etc.?

Also, one of the routings on DL only gives me 56 minutes to change planes at ATL on the outbound ( BOS -> ATL -> SJO) trip. Delta calls that a legal connection but that seems kinda tight to me, especially for a transfer from a domestic to an international flight. What do you all think? (Otherwise, it's pretty decent--leaves 6:00am and gets me there in the early afternoon.) I'm traveling solo, am pretty quick on my feet, and although I've never been to ATL before, I'm usually pretty quick at figuring out where to go as long as the signage is decent. Will I have time to hit the loo while I'm on the ground? If I check a bag, is the bag going to make it onto the plane?

All things considered I'd rather fly DL since I racked up a bunch of FF miles on a trip to AMS earlier this year, but otherwise...*shrug* As long as I can avoid Spirit and their BS fees. And I'd even consider them if the fare was cheap enough and the routing didn't suck. (Some of the routings on NK have me staying *overnight* in FLL. NFW. Fortunately ITA Matrix allows you to exclude those with the "/ -overnight" option under "Advanced Routing Options." Hooray.)

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"Buy the ticket, take the ride." --Hunter S. Thompson

I'm very familiar with the ATL airport (a monster in size). 56 minutes is cutting it very close, especially if you arrive at a terminal that is a long distance from Terminal E (International flights) i.e T, A, B. The good news is the trams are easy to access and come every couple of minutes. So if you can deplane and get to the tram pretty quickly you will be ok. Bottom line: if your outbound flight into ATL arrives on time, you can make your connection w/o any problems. But move at a fast pace and don't window shop on the way to International

Returning, Immigration in Atlanta is huge, modern, and efficient. Miami is old with fewer agents to help you

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

Hi Sir , I work for Delta in Atlanta and you will be fine just get off your plane follow the signs to the escalators going down and catch the train most of the time to E , rarely the SJO flight leaves from T . If you see a person in a Red Coat they will be happy to direct you. As far as your bag a cart will be waiting at the BOS gate and take it directly to the SJO gate. Thank You for flying Delta

As long as it is on the outbound you will be ok, there is no customs required.

Hope you are doing carry on only, good place for your bag to get left behind.
Regards, 911 Driver

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The happy hour is a device either for getting rid of social obligations hurriedly en masse or for making overtures toward more serious social relationships, as in the etiquette of whoring.- Brooks Atkinson

I fly BOS>MIA>SJO on AA with a tight conection time and have always made it checked bag as well. But the is also a flight to SJO from Mia that leaves about 4 or 5 hours later so I have a back up

Do not know if Delta has a latter flight in the day... if they do go for it you will still get to San Jose that day

I under stand wanting to fly with an airline that you have miles with

I sure you must have seen.... AAs depart bos 5:30am arrive sjo 10:50 via mia

That will change times with DST by an hour... about 8hrs travel time, and your are in town by noon or one time to settel in and get ready for some fun

In ATL, if you are returning international do you not remain in a secure area which would negate the security checkpoint issue when changing to a domestic flight?

You have to go through immigration, claim checked baggage, and then recheck your bags, and go through security once more to your final destination. Then go to domestic terminals for your flight. Sounds more complicated than it is.

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

You can get direct flights non-stop from EWR, LGA, or JFK to SJO if you want to go that route.

I used to be able to use that line but on my last 2 returns from sjo thru iah I've been unable to as it now closes @ 7pm & I always take the last Continental flight out of sjo, 3 or 4pm, to maximize my mongering time.

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"cuz I'm a back-door man" Jim Morrison-1969

Mr. Srilm said it very well. One [significant] addendum - I would avoid MIA like the plague. You'll have to hike a mile & the lines to get back in the terminal can be huge.

In general I could depart one gate and be at the next gate in ATL in about 15 minutes, not stopping to pee. I wouldn't worry about the checked bags - if it's a legal connection & they miss, they'll get it to you within a day in SJO.

After Delta pissed me off (I was platinum, spending about $40k a year with them) I moved to Continental. I like IAH better than ATL (EWR can be a huge entry issue if you don't have the Global Entry) and earlier this week when I arrived in IAH I was through immigration, picked up my checked bag, exited customs, rechecked my bag, made it through the TSA idiots and was in the E terminal in just a little under 20 minutes. My platinum status with Continental helped at the TSA lines.

/dddick

From LGA, no kidding? I thought that was strictly domestic traffic.

Anyway, I was looking at fares out of NYC as well. There are also nonstops on TACA and LACSA (same company, different names?) in addition to the usual US-based carriers, and it was my hope that competition from more carriers would drive fares down. Sadly, not so much. The major win is being able to get a nonstop versus a 1- or 2-stop flight.

Getting to any of the NYC airports from suburban Boston is kind of a PITA. Boston Logan Airport is relatively convenient for me; I live where I can hop a bus downtown and get on the subway from there, and be at the airport in an hour for the price of a subway fare. Worst-case, a cab is maybe $50 if I have to get to or from the airport at an hour when the T doesn't run.

But getting to any of the 3 NYC airports would entail driving and paying for parking, or taking a long-distance bus into midtown Manhattan and then public transport out to Queens or Newark...expensive plus about 5-6 hours each way for the shlep. Kind of a last resort, really, and I'm not sure I'd do it except in the face of a real bargain-basement airfare.

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"Buy the ticket, take the ride." --Hunter S. Thompson

Houston, which is where I most likely have to change if I fly CO or UA, gets hurricanes a fair bit, too. To be sure, it's mostly Galveston that takes the hit, but I bet if a hurricane goes into the Gulf and heads for Houston, flight operations there are going to be shut down fairly quickly. Anyway, my plans are for the end of January, well after hurricane season.

Even if weather is clear at all the airports you're flying into and out of, if your plane is stuck at some other airport due to weather, your flight still might get canceled if they can't scare up another aircraft and crew someplace. If the aircraft to be used on a BOS->ATL->SJO trip gets snowed in at Detroit, for example, you're more than likely stuck.

My main concern as far as weather in late January would be a snowstorm affecting BOS, or JFK or EWR if I fly out of one of those. Nothing I can do about that short of taking Amtrak to Miami, or something.

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"Buy the ticket, take the ride." --Hunter S. Thompson