Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights from Norfolk to San José
Entry restrictions
Costa Rica has allowed all countries in the world to enter by air.
Entry requirements
Travelers must complete the digital Health Pass 48 hours before boarding.
Travelers must have a travel insurance with coverage of COVID-19 treatment and accommodation costs. Check Visit Costa Rica website for more details.
Costa Rica has eased their travel regulations and removed the requirement of RT-PCR tests for the detection of the coronavirus.
All other info
Expired residence permits (DIMEX) with category “permanente" are extended until 11 January 2021, with categories “temporales" and “especiales" which expired after 18 December 2019 are extended until 11 January 2021 and with category “estancias" which expired after 17 March 2020 are extended until 12 February 2021.
For information on visas, refer to the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners.
There are currently 24,766 active cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in CR and 3,018 deaths as of Apr 13 2021
Please see our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Travel Restrictions page for more information on restrictions worldwide.
There are no direct flights for this route listed on KAYAK, the shortest multi-flight duration is 7h 50m.
In the past 3 days, the cheapest one-way tickets were found on American Airlines ($171) and United Airlines ($464), and the lowest round-trip tickets have been found on American Airlines ($330) and United Airlines ($331).
Yes.
When flying out of Norfolk you will be using Norfolk, often referred to as Norfolk Airport. You will be landing at San José Juan Santamaria Intl, also known as San José Airport.
KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Norfolk to San José.
KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San José from Norfolk is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.
Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to San José with an airline and back to Norfolk with another airline.
Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to San José from Norfolk up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.
Scores according to KAYAK customer reviews
Pros: "Boarding"
Cons: "Food"
Pros: "Amazing"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Crew was great"
Cons: "All was great"
Pros: "The crew was attentive and personable"
Cons: "for a long ride maybe better cushions"
Cons: "I wanted an aisle seat."
Pros: "The crew was amazing! They were helpful and professional. Made the flight wonderful. Our stewardess, Brenda Joyce, has great energy. My daughters and I were taking a trip to honor my husband who recently passed and she was phenomenal at keeping our spirits up."
Cons: "Better snacks."
Cons: "More leg room."
Pros: "good flight, inflight menu and movie library"
Cons: "rude bag drop off kiosk"
Pros: "The flight crew was great. Very friendly and efficient and there were free snacks with the comfort + seating with Delta. It’s airplane seating so it is what it is but I was not uncomfortable."
Cons: "I’m not sure everything was really great."
Pros: "The crew was awesome. The entertainment was great with a huge selection of movies. The food was really good."
Cons: "Boarding was delayed while waiting for Delta agents to come and assist people off of the plane."
Cons: "The flight was delayed for hours due to a mechanical issue. I had to take a much later flight and arrived at my final destination after midnight."
Pros: "Every seat had an entertainment screen, with a variety games, movies, or flight information available."
Cons: "The flight arrived 20 minutes early (win), but we then proceeded to have to wait about 15 minutes to pull into the gate because the previous plane handing left yet."
Cons: "Let was a typical flight. About all you can hope for is that it is on time. That makes it excellent."
Cons: "The gate was changed but it was not updated to the app. Many of us were waiting in the wrong gate until 10 mins before departure."
Cons: "Great flight. On time and friendly staff."
Pros: "Amazing crew, on time, decent coffee, plenty of drinks"
Cons: "The drinks cart was a little slow..."
Cons: "Flight was delayed and our luggage is lost"
Cons: "Itinerary was changed from the one that was booked. Flight was preponed by 2hours."
Pros: "Ease of boarding and deboarding"
Cons: "The flight was delayed (naturally) so the crew was rushed and inattentive. No pre-flight beverages in first class, and then no follow up service once aloft unless you asked. Makes me wonder why I’m paying extra for mediocre service."
Cons: "I was flying standby. I checked the list on line and my name was number 5. I get to the gate and there’s just a handful of customers. The agent said there was enough seats for the standbys I wait and wait for my name to be called but no luck. My name wasn’t cleared yet. Finally I was the next to last one to get a seat. The gate agent who didn’t ask for my name tells me I was all the down at the bottom of the list. While I am glad that I got on I wish I knew what method is use to get your name on the stand by list?"
Cons: "Ac not working properly. Hot."
Pros: "Courteous flight attendants"
Cons: "Nothing"
Cons: "Plane was Boarded and we sat for over an hour waiting on fuel. Minimizing the wait time on the plane should be considered prior to boarding. The practice of getting us on the plane to make us wait shhould be stopped. It will creat a much more relaxed and smooth delay if we are allowed to be in the terminal."
Pros: "Me atendieron muy bien , tuve un excelente viaje"
Cons: "Nada"
Cons: "Loud annoying flight attendants. On the plane, off the plane. Terrible delays"
Pros: "Even though I was disappointed by not being able to get the boarding passes from Delta for Aeromexico’s connecting flight to Bogota, I had an agent greet me after customs in Mexico to issue the boarding pass so I could use the transfer flight line. Excellent service throughout the entire trip."
Cons: "Confusion over my boarding pass at the Delta terminal in Detroit."
Pros: "The plane was on time, the crew was friendly, no delays, landing was fine. In fact we actually made it a little before the time that we were scheduled. Since the flight was so short, I did not have any food."
Cons: "The seats were a little small."
Pros: "Flight attendant Gillian Awesome. Crew was fun and made my kids first flight great."
Pros: "Flight itself was smooth."
Cons: "Flight was delayed and the on time and then delayed. Gate changed 4 times which was frustrating. Especially when at Sea-Tac you have to take a train to get to some of the gates."
Pros: "Helpful, and kind"
Cons: "Na"
Pros: "On time departure; good updates by flight deck; luggage arrived unscathed."
Cons: "Once beverage service was complete, flight attendants retreated to the back of the plane. On a 4-hour flight, it would have been nice to have someone come by and ask if we needed anything, such as water, coffee, or juice. Granola bar was good."
Pros: "I'm 6'6" and used to having my knees jammed hard against the seat in front of me (right into the metal frame). The knee room on this flight was better, they weren't even touching the seat!"
Cons: "N/A"
Cons: "Kids yelling"
Pros: "Boarding went smoothly. No delays were encountered. Everyone behaved themselves.no"
Cons: "Only problem was I couldn't get connected to the wi-GI."
Pros: "The plane was not so new or good"
Cons: "The plane and the atention"
Cons: "Boarding wasn't very prompt, but went smoothly once it began."
Cons: "The flight was over 20 minutes early"
Pros: "Free tv"
Pros: "Getting to ATL"
Cons: "We boarded, they closed the door, told us to turn our phones off, acted like we were leaving, then informed us we had an hour delay. The flight attendants remarked that they couldn't hold us hostage and could get off if we want. The whole thing wasn't done properly."
Pros: "Overall it was good"
Pros: "Excellent service and on-time"
Cons: "Baggage charge"
Pros: "Plane and cree"
Cons: "Terrible breakfast if u want to call it thst"
Pros: "Very nice Flight Crew from Detroit to Las Vegas!!"
Cons: "The ground crew (in Detroit) were unfriendly and rude. I asked two simply which line I should be in, the First lady just ignored me, the second gentleman rudely told me where to stand. They were not terribly busy at the time and I politely asked as I was unsure which line to be in. The flight attendants (only from ORF to Detroit) also were unfriendly with an attitude. Just simple stuff. I asked for extra ice, she thought I said no ice. Simple mistake, no big deal but when I explained that I actually wanted extra ice she was perturbed!"
Pros: "The flights were all on time, in fact a bit early. The crew was very helpful, both on the ground and in the air. They were courteous and not patronizing."
Cons: "Offer more healthy choices for food. Give larger amounts of beverages particularly water."
Pros: "Before we even boarded, the ticket agent happily found two seats together for my husband & I. The in-flight staff was particularly helpful. We had some medicine that needed to be refrigerated and they both provided a bag of ice for us to keep it in and checked back to replace the ice as it melted."
Pros: "No issues"
Pros: "Same as previous flight."
Pros: "Crew was helpful, plane was clean and food is decent"
Cons: "Have to request wheelchair service twice as the receiving staff handing the wheelchair to another company for departure staff. Only one counter handles wheelchair request at each leg. They are so strict with liquids that all baby foods had to put in a separate bin and we had to go to another security point for clearance. It took 2.5 hours to go through all that, that is with wheelchair priority! Boarding was horrible at the gate."
Pros: "The quiet so I could sleep"
Cons: "Changing my seat last minute. Had to ask two women to move to get into my seat. Loading the plane first with passengers that have nothing to store above would expedite the experience for me. My seat belt disconnected from the back of the seat. The tray was broken and could not be lowered into a writing or eating position."
Pros: "Reasonably comfortable, quick flight."
Cons: "Missed connections due to late flights - twice."
Pros: "The crew was amazing. It would be nice to be informed that although beverage service is suspended, you can still request drinks that are available. I had to find this on the website and didn't get anything by a tiny water bottle for both of my 3+ hour flights."
Cons: "I understand main cabin isn't supposed to be as upscale as 1st class, but it would do well if the seats were a bit more comfortable and the headrest was softer, it feels like a lump or sack of potatoes. Very stiff and hard. Also, having enough arm room would be nice so you're not fighting the person next to you for space on the armrest."
Pros: "Flight was slightly delayed (20 min). However, boarding was quick."
Cons: "The flight was full so no option to distance."
Pros: "Crew was awesome...love AA crew! Always and this time superb!"
Cons: "Leg room gets worse and worse...boarding sucked since they took our bags and we felt like it was only us that were singled out!!!"
Pros: "On time, main cabin extra was great, crew was nice, entertainment was great."
Cons: "No criticism"
Pros: "Easy boarding process, friendly crew member and smooth flight"
Cons: "The flight was delayed which impacted our connecting flight."
Pros: "Crew was nice, entertainment was good"
Cons: "Food was mediocre"
Pros: "Once boarding, we didn’t wait long for take off."
Cons: "Being on time."
Cons: "Flight was delayed for no reason given. Flight attendant touched my baby without asking if it was ok. Too many announcements over the speaker. 20 min one trying to sell us a credit card was ridicoluolously long. It was also after an ad for it on the video screen."
Pros: "Crew was kind and attentive"
Cons: "Flight delayed 3 hours and sat on tarmac in nyc for 45 minutes"
Cons: "Cramped seating and illogical boarding process"
Pros: "Excellent seats and early arrival"
Cons: "Lack of food choices or entertainment"
Cons: "My luggage was delayed. I received it the day after"
Pros: "The agent at checkin was so kind, nice, professional and superb...I will always fly American Airlines....you have the best checkin agents, best gate agents (super funny yet professional) and also the flight crew was absolutely amazing!"
Cons: "baggage claim in Costa Rica is terrible service...but that is the airports fault since this happens with other airlines.....something has to0 change!!!!"
Pros: "Military boards with first class."
Cons: "It was very warm on plane. Sat on tarmac for 30 min with no explanation. Flight attendant said she didn’t have any head phones but the. I saw another one with head phones later in the flight."
Pros: "We got there."
Cons: "Long delay. We were worried we would miss our connection and we had to dash to catch our next flight."
Pros: "Arrived early. Friendly pilot."
Cons: "Attendant did not offer snack choice."
Pros: "4 flights and all of them in middle uncomfortable seats. I requested aisle seats many times and counter agents were unhelpful and rude."
Cons: "Better seat options and more comfortable seats"
Pros: "The crew was very nice and friendly"
Cons: "There was a technical difficulty with the plane, which made a short delay in our flight."
Pros: "0ntime quick boarding"
Cons: "cost to check baggage"
Pros: "ontime easy boarding comfortable and quiet"
Cons: "no gluten/dairy free items"
Pros: "Crew was efficient and cordial"
Cons: "Overhead bins are small so they take rolling luggages down. Would have been good to know ahead of time d/t fragile items in carry-on"
Pros: "Crew was wonderful"
Cons: "Not getting service even SW served on 45 min flight"
Pros: "On time departure, this flight tends to get delayed, not this time. Good service and pleasant flight."
Cons: "I prefer personal entertainment systems."
Pros: "Finally getting my Bud Light"
Cons: "The inflexibility if crew about changing into empty seats at same price range. Gate attendant not allowing my to carry my purse on beats had to hide it."
Pros: "The plane was late but from that point everything was fine."
Cons: "Nothing"
Cons: "I’m not sure how this flight was as I missed it due to a delay from YYZ to ORD"
Pros: "everything but the cabin temperature. it was very hot and uncomfortable."
Cons: "Too warm in the cabin."
Pros: "The flight crew was very nice."
Cons: "Small, ol, uncomfortable plane."
Pros: "Can’t say anything good"
Cons: "When boarding crew was rude because carry on did not fit the overhead compartment. No options to choose from for entertainment. Flight was delayed almost an hour while sitting in plane. Food options almost nonexistent"
Pros: "No problems. Everything was smooth"
Cons: "Took 35 min to move from the gate with everyone buckled in."
Cons: "did not use the flight. The flight was delayed and I would have missed the connection, so AA switched me to other flights."
Pros: "No big crowds trying to board. Everyone had room for their items in the over head. Love the one seat by itself. Very short flight but the one steward still served beverages and cookies."
Pros: "Our flight crew was very nice."
Cons: "it was a short flight, no food or drinks."
Pros: "Everything was fine"
Cons: "The trip was good"
Cons: "3 to 4 hour early flight should have chargers on the plane."
Pros: "Easy to change the flight to another time of the day."
Cons: "Very good. Service. They try to bring customers ‘ convenience."
Pros: "The crew was very friendly and accommodating. The food as usual just snack type food for purchase as expected. The entertainment system malfunctioned and we could not watch the movie they offered. However one flight attendant was very nice and gave my kids special cookies. Nice touch!"
Pros: "Horrible hospitality. The flight was initially delayed for computer issues which understandably happens. However, we were later switch to another plane 4 hr later, boarded, de iced, taxied, then notified he flight was cancelled at 1 am because the crew hit their maximum work time. We were de-boarded. There was no organization to get vouchers passed out. The hotel ran out of rooms for passengers. The whole trip was 16 hrs delayed and no customer service provided."
Pros: "The crew were very kind and helpful, going above what was needed!"
Pros: "Mostly everyrhing"
Cons: "Food was so so"
Pros: "Service"
Cons: "Nothing"
Cons: "Too many delays"
Cons: "Check in staff was unprepared for volume of people. When asking an American Airlines agent if I could use the priority check in because I had priority seating I was told no. I was informed by a customer going that way that I indeed could. When I got in line for the priority check in, the agent looked over and very loudly said that I was in the wrong check in area. Given the volume at which it was said to me I felt embarrassed, and was upset at the fact that I then had to respond that I indeed was in the correct location."
Pros: "My flight was very good and I had no issues.I was very surprised how smooth everything went and I will be use kayak again."
Cons: "There was nothing to dislike.I will use kayak again I know that much"
Pros: "Flight crew kept us advised of the weather situation (thunderstorms/turbulence). Did a good job of finding a route that was fairly smooth. Overall very pleasant flight and crew."
Cons: "It's an MD-80. Need old cigarette-lighter style plug to be able to charge anything. No inflight entertainment unless you use snail-speed Go-Go internet service."
Cons: "No power outlets or USB ports on a 5+ hour flight. Not great for business."
Pros: "the clerk at the boarding desk was kind"
Cons: "delayed"
Pros: "Personal service and care by the ticketing to seat our family together"
Pros: "Easy access to the Laboratory, location of my seat"
Cons: "The flight attendants were not that friendly and do not like me asking for so much water (4 times) on a 9.5 hour flight. This was operated by American Airlines...they need to be nice and smile. I asked for a gluten-free meal which they did not have two hours later I find attendant gave me a meal from first class but someone did not eat. A little disappointed!"
Cons: "Food"
Pros: "Crew was very attentive and professional, and the food and beverage on the Lufthansa transatlantic sector were better than US carriers offer."
Cons: "The economy seats on the Lufthansa A350 were extremely uncomfortable and seemed excessively narrow as well has having cramped legroom. I could not get comfortable let alone sleep, and my backside felt like I had been sitting on a park bench rather than a long haul coach airline seat. I will avoid this aircraft if possible in the future."
Pros: "The food and the crew"
Cons: "Entertainment system, it is outdated"
Pros: "Amabilidad de la tripulacion"
Cons: "Podrían dar comida, el viaje no es tan corto. Aire acondicionado demasiado frío, muchos pasajeros solicitaron regular l temperatura, no habían suficientes mantas"
Pros: "Clean, comfortable and on time."
Cons: "Nothing"
Cons: "No screens in the seats. Food options are the usual limited fair"
Cons: "The flight took off late due to baggage not being loaded in a timely manner and the wait on the flight when we arrived was much longer due to equipment not being handled properly; because of this my family and I missed our connecting flight."
Cons: "Slow boarding, no food no drinks, no tv."
Pros: "enjoyed getting moved up to economy plus with my premier silver status."
Cons: "the little kid kicking my seat behind me which is no one's fault except the parent which you can't police."
Pros: "Nothing"
Pros: "The pilot"
Cons: "Everything else"
Pros: "Early arrival. Smooth flight"
Cons: "Check in was confusing."
Pros: "It was good. One crew at the boarding station was not helpful but another stepped in and she was awesome."
Pros: "Everything was excellent but the decent was probably the roughest I've ever experienced. The poor Stewart ran with bags and wet naps up to touch down. The beverage and pretzels were great."
Cons: "Everything was excellent. We did receive a beverage but no pretzels."
Pros: "The check in process"
Cons: "See above"
Cons: "The delays and cancellations overwhelmed the gate attendant. She was not able to effectively manage the situation and quickly became chaotic"
Pros: "Clean newer plane. Nice staff. Smooth flight. Flight was on time"
Cons: "Tsa frisk"
Pros: "The plane took two hours to leave the ground due to weather. This was unfortunate and made the passengers uncomfortable but it was not the fault of the airline."
Cons: "The airline gave all the passengers access to the movies and television channels."
Cons: "The flight was delayed 2 hours"
Cons: "I hit the side of my foot on a sharp piece if metal that was exposed on the right side of my seat. I bled and took pictures"
Pros: "Flint got delayed"
Cons: "My suitcase was damaged no longer usable"
Cons: "Flight delayed. Missed my 2nd flight. Stuck overnight at airport. Vacation ruined"
Pros: "Nothig"
Cons: "Everything, TSA agent said my guess is as good as his when and if we are leaving I was upset at that kind of response. Never will use united ariline agian."
Pros: "The space and entertainment was good"
Cons: "2 hrs delay"
Pros: "The plane was not very full...that made the experience so nice. All passengers were there early and boarded quickly allowing us to leave the ground ahead of schedule. They offer entertainment using their app on your phone or notepad."
Pros: "Nothing."
Cons: "Missed my connecting flight from Newark to Ft. Lauderdale due to a 30 minute weather delay, and then an hour long delay imposed by Newark Airport due to air traffic volume. I had to sleep (barely due to all of the nighttime maintenance going on) on the damn floor by my standby gate because I couldn't afford a hotel and United refused to pay for one."
Pros: "The people on the plane were friiendly enough, the customer service once we were on the ground was terrible"
Cons: "United Customer Service Blamed weather for a delay, I am a pilot and didn't see any weather delays posted for Newark. Even if there was weather, they didn't hold our outbound flight and missed it by 15 minutes. Didn't comp us for a hotel, had to stay in Jersey out of pocket, Jersey is busy, dirty, smelly, and overcrowded. Not enough infrastructure for the people. We were lucky we got there 2 hours prior to flight time and had TSA Pre Check."
Cons: "Snack offering was caramely sugar cookie"
Pros: "Free wifi, snack was yummy"
Cons: "Fligh delay."
Cons: "Food,crew could be better"
Pros: "I was allowed to get off the aircraft to collect a bag I left behind"
Pros: "Attendants were amazing"
Cons: "We spent the whole delay on the plane and wasn't notified of a problem until after an hour. A lot of my time was wasted. That's not okay. Keep your customers informed."
Cons: "Both planes were late, and you sent this questionnaire before flight had even arrived in Omaha"
Cons: "Same. No ffood ..poor Service and allso charging. To much for extra weight. $200 for 3 extra pounds. Ridiculous. Also charged for one check in bag..Todo much"
Cons: "Viajar en United es desastroso. Los asientos son demasiado pequeños, yo mido1.57 metros y no me podía ni mover."
Cons: "Flight cancelled. Went with another airline. Waited 1:20 to get assistance"
Pros: "The crew were nice though exasperated with cramped new planes and crowded restrooms. Flight was on time"
Cons: "After three years of flying all around US, realized United is the worst of the three major legacy carriers. I'm star alliance gold and it's still a painful experience. Crew admitted in latest redesign of planes they've managed to squeeze another six seats in coach. My seat wouldn't go back but even if it did, would feel too guilty for person behind to do it - so little legroom on newer planes. They've also cut down on restrooms so for most of the flight there was a line of 5-6 people waiting in the aisle. American Airlines seems to have older planes but at least decent legroom (and I'm not tall - anybody over 5'10 would have to sit at an angle on new United planes!). Been very impressed by Delta's service lately. United feels more like Spirit"
Pros: "The United skybus we were on from ORF to EWR was comfy."
Cons: "Waiting on the tarmac at ORF for 1.5hr to find a de-icing crew and nearly missing the next flight leading to a multi-terminal sprint to make it."
Pros: "Onboard entertainment options were great."
Cons: "United terminal gate crew at Norfolk International was horrible."
Cons: "Flight was cancelled"
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "I don't think it's fair that you don't any money back of you cancel your plane ticket. It shouldn't matter what type of ticket it was. You should at least be allowed a voucher for the amount of the ticket at a later date. Even if it's a percentage off, you should be allowed something. How is it that you can buy a car worth thousands, and be allowed to return it under the Lemon Law. When a company called can make billions of dollars doing this, it's just taking advantage of the little people."
Pros: "I think your agents on up did well handling rebooking and upset people. I was told I would miss my flight first thing this morning but the agent was able to get me on and I arrived in CR only 1. Hour late. Thank you for the great service. It has to be hard picking up the pieces after the hurricane."
Pros: "Norfolk is always good and professional"
Pros: "Nothing"
Cons: "The fact that not only was my flight cancelled but so was its replacement with no explanation."
Cons: "Our flight had a "mechanical delay" which drug on for several hours (every 30 min there would be another 30 min delay). This eventually meant we would miss our connection to Munich and had to be rescheduled to the following day. The next day we had another round of "mechanical delays" and just barely made the connection."
Cons: "Apparently flight crews are limited and even though our plane was ready to leave we had to wait for a crew member to arrive that was delayed at another airport which in turn delayed our flight."
Pros: "The seat next to me was empty"
Cons: "United put my bags on the next flight to San Jose, so I had to wait an extra 2.5 hours in the airport for the next plane to land in San Jose, Costa Rica while my ride waited for me."
Cons: "The seats were so small, with no space between rows that you couldn't even recline. The tv on the seat in front was so close you couldn't watch it. Miserable flight, and I'm only 5'5"."
Airlines flying from Norfolk to San José have enacted additional safety measures and adjusted policies to better accommodate travelers. Policies vary by airline.
Heightened sanitation
Daily cleaning, installation of cabin HEPA filters on flights from Norfolk to San José
Mandatory masks
Masks required on board, masks provided on flights from Norfolk to San José
Social distancing seating
Middle seats unavailable to book on flights from Norfolk to San José
Pre-flight testing
Testing for antibodies, testing for symptoms for flights from Norfolk to San José
Flexible cancellations
Waiving of change fees. Search flexible flights from Norfolk to San José