www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The good news is: flights from Newark, NJ (EWR) to SJO are running as low as $249 R/T (inclusive). I happen to live in NJ, so, I am exploring the possibility of multiple trips during the Fall & Winter. I would like to spend another month south of the Tropic of Cancer like I did last June. I am considering a side trip to MDE (and possibly even LIM) from SJO.

The bad news is: Kayak.com only is returning airfares in the $480 - $727 range for roundtrip flights from SJO to either of these destinations (or points in between). Even CTG, BOG & Cali are coming in around $500.

My question is: Do airfares get any better than this for travel in Latin America...or is this pretty much the norm??? Any advice from you veteran travelers who fly from SJO to other Latin American destinations would be appreciated.

Muchas gracias...

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

i can't find Avianca out of SJO, but once you get to colombia, they are the best service in my opinion.

for colombian travel, i have resigned myself to using bogota as a hub and flying the avianca routes to the various cities such as cali, medellin, etc...

direct flights from US cities to colombian destinations are limited in comparison to flights out of bogota to many cities in colombia.

avianca has a good website and seems to have tons of flights each day out of bogota to various colombian cities on an almost hourly basis.

and the bus service in colombia is dirt cheap, albeit a longer ride.

for instance, bus to/from bogota/cali is over 11 hours while flying only takes an hour or less.

but bus travel during the day is a good way to see the countryside.

still looking for cheap flights to/from panama to/from anywhere.

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

You might want to try Copa.com for rates to Mde.There is no nonstop service as you will have to stop in Panama City.Recently i found rates of 384$ roundtrip in october.Hope this helps.

Sorry guys ,it's copaair.com

I just checked out the Avianca website, and it shows some very reasonable domestic fares. http://www.avianca.com/default.htm International fares (even for short flights within S. America) range between $400 and $700.

Avianca flies to BOG, MDE, Cartagena, Cali & Barranquila from the US. Flights may depart from JFK, LAX, MIA, FLL and ATL codeshare with Delta). I smiled a little when I read an announcement for the new Avianca bus shuttle between JFK and Union City/Elizabeth, NJ.

I'll explore the website more when I get home.

Peace,

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

The 2nd tier airlines on my list for travel on a regional basis here in Central America and which dont show up on most travel sites are:

http://www.flyairpanama.com - usually 30-40% cheaper than major carriers between San Jose and Panama City via David

http://www.aires.aero/Website/Default.aspx - for travel between Panama and Colombia and within Colombia regional destinations

http://www.aeroperlas.com/ - regional Panama destinations

http://www.aerorepublica.com.co - is supposedly flying to Panama from Colombia now though it doesnt show up on their site yet.

www.taca.com - has many central american and south american flights that dont show up on travelocity and other internet sites

http://www.flysansa.com/ and www.natureair.com are Costa Rican regional carriers who also fly to Bocas Del Toro, Panama and connect to other regional carriers in the Taca system.

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All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts...

T-man,

Thank you! Those second-tier airline links are exactly what I needed. I can do a SJO-BOG-LIM-SJO trip for $650, and I shouldn't have a problem getting from BOG to MDE.

IMHO, these links should be a posted sticky somewhere in this sub-forum. They are absolutely essential for planning air travel in Central/South America. I owe you one, T-man.

Peace,

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Add my thanks to Brother Tman for the info.
NOTE: For Avianca, try their website "home" www.avianca.com

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

damn you Jazzbo I saw the $249 and was ready to book then I saw the date

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But mama, that's where the fun is

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Just booked Washington Dulles to SJO on Taca, $329 round trip.