San José, Costa Rica: $180 Non-Stop Avianca Flights from Washington, D.C. (Personal Item Only)

Recently, Star Alliance member Aavianca to much funfair replaced its capital A with a lowercase a in its name to emphasize its low-cost transition. Luckily, this transition also comes with cheap fares, especially within the Americas. This time, you can fly non-stop from Washington D.C. to San José in Costa Rica starting at just US$180 (~€168). In true low-cost fashion, however, only a small personal item is included in these tickets. Adding a checked bag costs US$88 (~€82) both ways, while a carry-on is even pricier at US$100 (~€93) return.

Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Avianca with your selected flight dates. Be careful, as some dates may include itineraries with a technical stop in Guatemala City.

You would fly avianca’s Airbus A320 family aircraft which have a 3-3 configuration. There is no free onboard catering. On Central America flights, a vegetarian or chicken sandwich would set you back US$8 (~€7). You can check out the menu online.

Search & Book

According to the fare rules, this fare will expire on November 27, 2023 as part of the airline’s black red friday sale. There is no minimum stay, but a maximum stay of 12 months applies. You can also book one-way fares cheaply.

You can use our calendar above that will show you availabilities. Once you select your dates, it will forward you to Avianca’s website with your preselected flight dates. In this case, we don’t recommend booking through online travel agencies (OTAs), as avianca offers the cheapest price. You can also search more specifically on Google Flights (instructions) for example by setting filters. You can then use our Go2 browser extension to book your flights.

Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?

More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:

Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.

If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.

This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.

Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.

This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.

Mileage

Avianca issues these tickets in booking class U. This is what this trip would earn you:

Cover Picture: Galyna Andrushko