SJO - WAS

$120 Find Cheap Flights from San José to Washington, D.C.

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San José to Washington, D.C. departing on 6/4. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Washington, D.C.

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to Washington, D.C..
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to Washington, D.C..
Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 22% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flights Deals
Expert advice
Useful Info
Flights Deals

Cheap Flight Deals from San José to Washington, D.C. (SJO-WAS)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San José to Washington, D.C. that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San José to Washington, D.C.

KAYAK's recommended round-trip deals from the most popular airlines that fly from San José to Washington, D.C..
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.
Volaris El Salvador Logo
11:15 am - 12:20 pmSJO-IAD
23h 05m1 stop
Volaris El Salvador Logo
2:22 am - 1:27 pmIAD-SJO
13h 05m1 stop
$201Volaris El Salvador
Find Deal
Mon, May 19 - Tue, May 27
 Logo
5:00 pm - 12:19 pmSJO-IAD
17h 19m1 stop
 Logo
2:22 am - 8:19 pmIAD-SJO
19h 57m1 stop
Sat, Oct 4 - Wed, Oct 8
Avianca Logo
6:10 am - 1:15 amSJO-IAD
17h 05m1 stop
Avianca Logo
2:35 am - 11:15 amIAD-SJO
10h 40m2 stops
$211Avianca
Find Deal
Wed, Jun 4 - Sun, Jun 8
Avianca Logo
5:10 pm - 11:45 pmSJO-IAD
4h 35mnonstop
Avianca Logo
2:35 am - 9:20 amIAD-SJO
8h 45m1 stop
$216Avianca
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 10 - Wed, Jul 23
American Airlines Logo
2:15 pm - 8:42 amSJO-IAD
16h 27m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
7:09 am - 5:30 pmIAD-SJO
12h 21m1 stop
$226American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 28 - Wed, Sep 3
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 6:16 pmSJO-BWI
10h 16m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:53 am - 6:15 pmBWI-SJO
13h 22m1 stop
$226American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 14 - Fri, Aug 22
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 11:58 pmSJO-IAD
14h 03m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
6:10 am - 10:39 pmIAD-SJO
18h 29m1 stop
$247United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, May 15 - Mon, May 26
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 8:47 pmSJO-DCA
10h 52m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:11 pm - 11:55 amDCA-SJO
18h 44m1 stop
$247United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 14 - Sat, May 31
Copa Airlines Logo
5:52 pm - 4:20 amSJO-IAD
8h 28m1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
4:34 pm - 8:20 amIAD-SJO
17h 46m1 stop
$256Copa Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 21 - Mon, May 26
Copa Airlines Logo
4:10 am - 3:15 pmSJO-BWI
9h 05m1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
4:49 pm - 8:20 amBWI-SJO
17h 31m1 stop
$258Copa Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, May 10 - Wed, May 14
Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from San José to Washington, D.C.

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airlines
Avianca

Avianca's Classic fare includes a free checked bag and seat selection, ideal for longer flights.


Avianca's 787 Dreamliner offers seatback entertainment, enhancing comfort on longer flights.

United Airlines

United's Economy Plus offers up to 6 inches more legroom, enhancing comfort on longer flights.


United's Wi-Fi offers free messaging; check coverage before purchasing for better connectivity.

Airports
SJO

Arrive early at SJO as security screening lines can vary. Enjoy free WiFi and self-check-in kiosks for a smoother departure experience.

Read more about SJOby Mark Chesnut
IAD

Use the Silver Line Metro for a convenient 50-minute ride from IAD to downtown D.C. It's cost-effective and avoids traffic.

Read more about IADby Stefanie Waldek
Our travel experts
Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut

Expert on Avianca and SJO

Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut is a travel writer and public speaker with more than 30 years of experience. The 2019 winner of the NLGJA Excellence in Travel Writing Award, Mark is the author of the book “Prepare for Departure” and has covered air travel for multiple top consumer and trade media outlets.

Read more
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines and IAD

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Read more
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for San José to Washington, D.C. flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San José to Washington, D.C. to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest San José to Washington, D.C. flight route?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from San José to Washington, D.C..

Our data shows that the cheapest route for a return flight from San José to Washington, D.C. cost $147 and was between San José (SJO) and Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD). On average, the best prices are found if you fly this route. The average price for a return flight for this route is $147.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San José to Washington, D.C.?

The average price of all round-trip flights from San José to Washington, D.C. clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If you are looking for a flight deal from San José to Washington, D.C., look for departures on Wednesdays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Washington, D.C., Tuesday is the cheapest day to fly and Saturday is the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San José to Washington, D.C.?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San José to Washington, D.C., removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from San José to Washington, D.C. is October, where tickets cost $271 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $392 and $375 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San José to Washington, D.C.?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $530 on average.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San José to Washington, D.C.?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San José to Washington, D.C., removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San José to Washington, D.C., you should book around 8 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 24 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$120
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 15% increase in price.
Flight from San José to Washington Dulles Airport

When to book flights from San José to Washington, D.C.

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San José to Washington, D.C. based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from San José to Washington, D.C.

  • What is the cheapest flight from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San José to Washington, D.C. was $120 for a one-way ticket and $201 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between San José and Washington, D.C.?

    A passport is required to fly from San José to Washington, D.C..

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    On your way to Washington, D.C., you’ll fly out from San José Juan Santamaria Intl. You’ll be landing in one of Washington, D.C.’s 2 airports: Washington, D.C. Reagan-National or Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    Iberia, Air Canada, and Lufthansa offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the San José to Washington, D.C. flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the San José to Washington, D.C. flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    Star Alliance is the only airline alliance operating flights between San José and Washington, D.C..

  • On which days can I fly direct from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    You can catch a nonstop flight from San José to Washington, D.C. on on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San José to Washington, D.C., Delta or Southwest?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San José to Washington, D.C. are Delta and Southwest. With an average price for the route of $343 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. Southwest is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $356 and an overall rating of 8.0.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    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 San José to Washington, D.C..

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Washington, D.C. from San José is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    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 Washington, D.C. with an airline and back to San José with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San José to Washington, D.C.?

    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 Washington, D.C. from San José up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from San José to Washington, D.C.

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $305 or less one-way and $239 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from San José to Washington, D.C.?

Find which airlines fly direct from San José Juan Santamaria Intl Airport to Washington, D.C., which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San José Juan Santamaria Intl to Washington, D.C.

Monday

Avianca

Avianca

Tuesday

Avianca

Avianca

Thursday

Avianca

Avianca

Saturday

Avianca

Avianca

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Washington, D.C. to San José Juan Santamaria Intl

Tuesday

Avianca

Avianca

Wednesday

Avianca

Avianca

Friday

Avianca

Avianca

Sunday

Avianca

Avianca

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines serving from San José to Washington, D.C.

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San José to Washington, D.C.. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San José to Washington, D.C.? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.0
DeltaOverall score based on 7934 reviews
7.3Food
7.9Entertainment
8.5Crew
7.9Comfort
8.2Boarding
Airline reviews

Fine except the person next to me took up her seat had raised the arm divide so she spilled into my seat. because of her size. Fortunately no one was in the seat on my right so I could use part of it.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025AMS - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

Fine except the person next to me took up her seat had raised the arm divide so she spilled into my seat. because of her size. Fortunately no one was in the seat on my right so I could use part of it.

Delta is my preferred airline. I've traveled with them for years. On time in most cases, good communication, easy to use app. Most planes are pretty nice. I was on a CRJ 700/900 however, which was pretty badly aged inside and needed a refresh. No infotainment, unreliable wifi, best to download before boarding or bring a book. Food choices are really just snacks on this flight, nice variety but about what you'd expect. Great staff and prompt in departure and early arrival too. Overall quite satisfied.

Crew was friendly Love the entertainment in the seat head rest.

Delta flight was on time, seats were comfortable, and crew was nice.

This had nothing to do with Delta… The flights were on time and flawless. The service was excellent. We purchased seats in (aisle/middle) comfort plus since this was a cross country flight. Unfortunately, the woman seated at the window was 300+ pounds and, as might be expected, covered up about a third of the middle seat also. there was absolutely nothing that Delta could have done about that… I just don’t know what the answer should be. If you purchase a seat, you should should be able to use the entire seat and not just the portion that someone else is not sitting/oozing in. Disappointing…there should be something that could be done….I'm just not sure what solution could be.

Delayed take-off. Very small plane so very scary with lots of bumps during the flight. Would never fly Delta on short flights in small 80 seaters plane again! Felt relieved when landed.

Delta is a cut above the others in customer service.

The worst part was I was NOT allowed in the lounge even though I was holding a first class ticket and have a premium American Express card. I have flown Business or First Class with many airlines. Delta is the ONLY one who does not extend this courtesy to anyone except people who hold the very expensive American Express card. As a result, I won’t fly Delta if I have any other choice.

A little bumpy ride . No food was being provided due the the turbulence. That was ok it was a short flight to my standards.

Simply outstanding. Their new lounge for Delta One customers is a cut above the rest.

We were in transit from Lima (flight at 1.10am) and we were in stand by in our flight from Panama to Washington. We wait from 4.30 am to 18.30pm in the Airport. The company give us 2 x 15 dollars for eat during the day and a personnal travel voucher of 400 dollars each. Do they buy food one time something in the Airport ??? And one of us live in France so the voucher is not usable. More than 24 hours travel !! And our place were near the toilets, with 8 children around us. The boy behind my seat stamped his feet on my back all the flight. Really Wonder full ! So we are totally unhappy with our travel. Thanks Copa Airlines....

My flight delayed and i misss the connection they send me to orlando no to tampa i have to pay a uber to my house

I upgraded myself to Business Class at the last minute so I had a DREAMS window seat. Seeing as I've never flown Business before everything was novel and fun for me and it made the 7 hour flight much more enjoyable for sure.

The flight was delayed about 4 hours without any explanation. No wifi or entertainment at all on planes. Had to pay for checked bags I was allowed according to reservations.

It was good, plane is a bit older so seats are somewhat flat

Copa stranded us ans then tried to charge us thousands to leave Panama.

Friendly flight team and seamless travel from one stop to next.

I loved my experience. Very safe, Very informative and very friendly.

At JFK the Security line was extremely long and few checkpoints open.

Flight attendant -José? - was over the top friendly and professional. Beautiful new plane with lie flat seats in Business (worth it!)

I love United was disappointed we had a two hour delay, however the Pilot did say safety first.

Since when do I have to pay for my checked bag? I have a United Explorer mileage plus silver card and I was charged for my checked bags. This also is an international flight. So I would like an explanation to be clear before I choose an airline please?

Mostly the experience was good except for the flight changes made by UA which meant longer layover in DC

Terrible. First of all we were delayed 4 3/4 hours departing Honolulu. As we had to leave our condo and the rental car had to be returned we had to go to the airport. Even though we had a business class boarding pass to Washington, since we did not have business class to Montreal we could not access the lounge without paying a $59 fee each. This does not make sense to us. Since we could not meet our original connection United booked us to Montreal via New York LaGuardia on Air Canada. In Washington a further delay got us into LaGuardia too late to make our connection to Montreal so we were booked on another Air Canada flight 3 hours later. We were originally scheduled to arrive in Montreal at 10:40 and arrived at 19:55. A totally exhausting day, United did not offer a meal voucher or any type of compensation. Air Canada did give us a digital meal voucher. The food in United business class is poor among all meals offered. The pods look nice but are not that confortable. Overall would not fly on United again.

Change cabin crew assisting business class. Not taking care, ignoring requests and calls. Never had such an experience in business class.

United left one of our bags back in SFO but that’s not my real complaint. The complaint is how it all went down. So we checked in the day before online and were told we could use the quick drop for luggage. So the next day I used baggage quick drop curbside at SFO. The agent mistakenly didn't tag my bag as he put my bag on the conveyor belt untagged. We immediately alerted him he had not tagged the bag. I walked with him to the baggage service office to find my bag and tag it. We waited outside the office for 10 mins. He came out and said everything was ok and the bag was going to be tagged and on my flight. We received a text that one of our bags was on the flight but the other was not. I alerted my first class flight attendant immediately upon boarding the flight. She was helpful and said she’d get it sorted out right away. She called over the gate agent. The gate agent used my bag number and looked over information on her device. She said my bag was on the flight. The flight attendant was standing with her, looking at the device, and also said “yep it’s on the flight”. During the flight the flight attendant made reference to how reassuring it must feel knowing the bag was on the flight. Upon arriving to IAD we received a text that my bag was not on my flight. The text said my bag would arrive to my final destination LIS 24 hrs late. I understand that mistakes happen. I was totally ok with my bag mistakenly not getting tagged at the quick drop. I was fine with walking down to baggage services to tag my bag. But, what I am not ok with is that the United staff said they fixed the mistake two different times, assuring me twice that my bag would be/was on the plane…and it wasn’t. I expected better attention by the employees, for them to do what they said they were going to do. We also spent extra money to upgrade our seats to first class, including the entire return leg from Lisbon to San Francisco because we wanted a smoother and more relaxing travel experience. Our money was not well spent. We will not be using United for travel going forward.

The flight was delayed, it took longer than anticipated because of weather, and they broke my luggage.

Horrifying! And I am almost 2 million miles with United. Late by 3 1/2 hours. Worst: after two hours on the plane waiting, they decided that one of the tires had been damaged and then decided to change it. Another hour and a half to change the tire!!!!! NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. The crew didn't even offer a glass of water until we had been on the plane for FIVE hours. This is the worst airline in the world. I'm simply stuck because they fly on the only routes I need.

Gate got changed about 4 times. Very confusing and very crowded. If you don’t have wifi to help get updates, you can be in deep trouble.

Attendants zipped through cabin so fast hardly anyone got the water they told us we could have in the short flight. Nothing else was offered.

When I'm on a 5hr 22 minute flight I expect food to be purchased. Especially when American makes a very tight connection time where u have to run to make the long flight. Chips and nuts are unacceptable and being told you should be in first class to get a meal is also unacceptable. I didn't change the flight times American Airlines did.

The boarding crew was incredibly helpful getting me on an earlier flight

Great experience. Flight boarded easily. Departed early. Smooth flight. Great arrival in DC--almost no taxing! Almost direct to gate from runway. Crew was terrific. Same cookies and beverages in main cabin. I did not use the entertainment system on this flight.

Flight delayed on both ends - have a gate ready at DCA, don't make us sit for 30min after being late to take off as well.

AA can't control the weather. But the airplane was hot and stuffy while stuck on the runway with a broken entertainment system.

very bare bones flight no entertainment screen, download shows prior to boarding to watch on phone or tablet.

It was good. It’s been a long time since my wife and I fly any where and things have changed. Our trip was to see our new grandson. We fly economy and that was not good for my bad back. It was a quick flight but uncomfortable.

Service in first class no longer exists on American Airlines .

Flight was delayed by 11 hours. Flight agent finally had to rebook us, but did not rebook fully correctly. We had to pay out of pocket to get to the hotel they booked us and couldn’t check in the next day online because the next day’s agent said they didn’t complete the process the night before.

The flight got canceled last minute with no explanation or refund, I had to rebook for a different day

I receive a service for what I pay, so it is fair.

i think the flight was late because they were so strict about measuring everyone's personal items to try and charge them $119. It was really petty and made us late.

A few years ago long flights 6 hours or so used to have video screens and they offered ear phones. The food cart used to come and drinks. Now absolutely nothing. Avianca is as bad as Spirit Airlines. Avianca will now be my last choice when booking my next flight.

Terrible, We had to stay in Bogota for two days due to weather but the airline did not provide for the same day flight. Only two days later

Purchased a business class ticket and got a economy seat with center seat blocked they call it business. 3100usd ticket on a flight where economy costs 500usd The biggest scam insult have had on a regular airline. Avianca should be in the low cost category and kicked out of Star Alliance. I want the difference to be credited. Ets see what Avianca does. No reply so far. Avianca = low cost airline. Beware

We did not know about the bag fees until check in. They are way too high. It’s insane. We also had a huge delay and everything costed extra which was very annoying.

Lounge for business was closed. Boarding was rush and stand by. Seat for business is just the middle seat blocked and some more leg room.

please see previous response; it covers the whole travel trajectory.

I enjoyed it! In that case, I should have been offered this choice. On my first trip to Miami, I was asked to pay $320 for my luggage just for getting it totally broken. I cannot accept this situation at all!!!!

Overpriced checked bag price of $120 and they charge you for carryon if the size is not minimal of $120.

Everything you need to know for your flight from San José to Washington, D.C.

Information on your arrival and departure airports

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car rentals and package deals with KAYAK.