SJO - WAS

$173 Find Cheap Flights from San José to Washington, D.C. - Compare and Save

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 10/6. 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.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$301
Typical prices: $284-$465
American Airlines
Wed 11/11Sat 11/14
SJO - BWI • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$364
Typical prices: $218-$375
Avianca
Mon 7/20Sat 7/25
SJO - IAD • Non-stop
Advice from real travelers
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
Avianca Classic fare adds a free checked bag and seat selection for better value.
United Economy Plus gives up to 6 extra inches of legroom on longer flights.
Expert advice
Expert advice
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Top airlines
Cheapest • from $300 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.8 score
Airline reviews
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Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $216 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 6h 35m (one-way)
Insights
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Top routes
Cheapest • 8% average savings
Most popular
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Avoid delays
Most punctual • 87% on-time
Best time • Fewest delays
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When to travel
Cheapest • 44% price drop
Most popular
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights 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.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

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

Wed, Nov 11 - Sat, Nov 14
American Airlines Logo
1:23 pm - 4:56 pm
SJO
-
BWI
26h 33m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
8:21 pm - 12:22 pm
BWI
-
SJO
17h 01m
1 stop
$301American Airlines
Wed, Nov 11 - Sat, Nov 14
American Airlines Logo
1:23 pm - 1:03 pm
SJO
-
BWI
22h 40m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
8:21 pm - 12:09 pm
BWI
-
SJO
16h 48m
2 stops
$306American Airlines
Wed, Oct 21 - Wed, Oct 28
JetBlue Logo
2:05 pm - 11:27 pm
SJO
-
BWI
7h 22m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
8:00 am - 12:59 pm
BWI
-
SJO
6h 59m
1 stop
$325JetBlue
Fri, Sep 11 - Thu, Sep 17
Avianca Logo
3:10 pm - 4:20 am
SJO
-
IAD
11h 10m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
5:35 pm - 11:40 pm
IAD
-
SJO
8h 05m
1 stop
$331Avianca
Thu, Oct 22 - Tue, Oct 27
JetBlue Logo
2:05 pm - 11:27 pm
SJO
-
BWI
7h 22m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
6:09 am - 12:59 pm
BWI
-
SJO
8h 50m
1 stop
$332JetBlue
Sun, Jul 26 - Sun, Oct 4
Avianca Logo
4:35 pm - 2:15 am
SJO
-
IAD
7h 40m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
4:10 am - 8:45 am
IAD
-
SJO
6h 35m
1 stop
$333Avianca
Sat, Oct 31 - Sun, Nov 8
United Airlines Logo
1:15 pm - 7:59 pm
SJO
-
IAD
4h 44mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 1:22 pm
IAD
-
SJO
8h 22m
1 stop
$338United Airlines
Thu, Jul 30 - Fri, Jul 31
Copa Airlines Logo
1:37 pm - 4:21 am
SJO
-
IAD
12h 44m
1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
4:26 pm - 7:10 am
IAD
-
SJO
16h 44m
1 stop
$342Copa Airlines
Thu, Oct 1 - Fri, Oct 9
Copa Airlines Logo
5:55 pm - 3:15 pm
SJO
-
BWI
19h 20m
1 stop
Copa Airlines Logo
4:49 pm - 1:52 pm
BWI
-
SJO
23h 03m
1 stop
$342Copa Airlines
Thu, Sep 10 - Wed, Sep 16
United Airlines Logo
8:45 am - 5:55 am
SJO
-
IAD
19h 10m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
6:42 am - 7:15 am
IAD
-
SJO
26h 33m
1 stop
$343United Airlines
Booking Insights

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.

How much is a round-trip flight from San José to Washington, D.C.?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from San José to Washington, D.C. departing in November.

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

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest return flight from San José to Washington, D.C. costs $886 on the route between San José (SJO) and Baltimore (BWI). Over the past month, this route was, on average, 8% cheaper than other San José-Washington, D.C. routes. The most popular route is between San José (SJO) and Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD).

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 Tuesdays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Washington, D.C., Thursday is the cheapest day to fly and Sunday 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 August, where tickets cost $104 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and September, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $609 and $192 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.

No, with an average price for the route of $255, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

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 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 19 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

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

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines and IAD

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.

Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut

Expert on Avianca and SJO

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.

Good to know

Low seasonAugust
Cheapest flight$173
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 11% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.
Flight from San José to Baltimore

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.

  • How many flights are there between San José and Washington, D.C. per day?

    There is a maximum of 1 nonstop flight a day that takes off from San José and lands in Washington, D.C., with an average flight time of 4h 50m. The most common departure time is 12:00 pm and most flights take off in the morning. Each week, there are 2 flights.

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

    In the last 5 days, the lowest price for a flight from San José to Washington, D.C. was $173 for a one-way ticket and $300 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.?

    Lufthansa, Iberia, American Airlines, and Air Canada 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.?

    oneworld, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between San José and Washington, D.C., with oneworld being the most commonly used for this route.

  • 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 Saturday, and Sunday.

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San José to Washington, D.C. are Delta and Copa Airlines. With an average price for the route of $511 and an overall rating of 7.8, Delta is the most popular choice. Copa Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $336 and an overall rating of 7.6.

  • 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 $328 or less one-way.

Reviews of the 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.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8452 reviews
7.8Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.2Food
8.5Crew
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

The flight was mostly smooth and direct (although it was 2 hours late). The glow of the flight attendant’s phone was annoying as I tried to sleep on this midnight flight.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jul 2026
DTW - MBS
Read more Delta reviews

The flight was mostly smooth and direct (although it was 2 hours late). The glow of the flight attendant’s phone was annoying as I tried to sleep on this midnight flight.

The plane was not clean. Vomit was removed from seat-back pocket right in front of me. The flight attendants were rude to one another. 3 children were seated together with their parents across the aisle. The children fought physically with one slamming another’s head into the plane wall at one point. The parents were aware, but took no action to intervene. Delays occurred in Atlanta after boarding before takeoff, in the air, and in Detroit after landing (no ground crew assigned). Flight attendants offered no support for connecting flights. There were weather conditions on each end of the flight, but I didn’t mark down my ratings for these.

Every flight was delayed except the last one. One layover turned into two. Travel time extended by three hours. No compensation offered. Repeatedly asked if I'd like to cancel my flight for a partial refund.

The flight was smooth, the crew was great but the plane was quite old

Flight was warm for first few hours and quite rough

Flight taking off must have been behind, because there was no pre-departure drink for first class like normal. Also, person in front of mine’s seat got stuck in the as far back as it normally goes position for the whole flight even during landing, flight attendant unable to fix it. Gate was not empty when we arrived, but that is MSP’s fault since was overdue for push back, not Delta’s, so had to sit on tarmac for a while and international flight so then still had to go through customs. Flight crew was excellent throughout though!

Flight was delayed several times. At one point, they "pulled back" 15 minutes from the delayed boarding and sent a text saying we would board sooner than previously advised. The flight then was delayed again. And when we boarded, there was an unspecified technical issue which had us waiting in the plane for about an hour.

The Dekta Rep that checked us in was great. She's very personable, pleasant, and can tell she enjoys her job.

1st flight had mechanical issues after we boarded and almost took off. They tried to fix on runway but couldn’t do we went back to the gate. They couldn’t fix it there either. So we had to deplane and board another plane 2 hrs later. All in all our flight was delayed 4 hrs so we had to cancel some business meeting we had in London for the morning since we were supposed to arrive at 7am and did not arrive until 11:45am. Also, the 2nd plane had mechanical issues as well but fortunately they were able to fix on runway.

Aereo comodo e personale molto gentile, potevi dirigerti in Spagnolo e un po' in Italiano, sono soddisfatto di avere viaggiato con Delta.

Some of the Air hostesses are not that friendly. Need improvement

horrible service, food was an embarrassment, no charging for cellphones, stay away

Great experience with a crew always thinking in the passenger

We paid extra with copa for seats near one another The plane was changed and we lost our seats We were all Separated. We have not received a refund for our seats despite emailing and calling.

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....

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.

Just a minor inconvinient with weather delay! but not Copa's fault

Copa crew is almost never great in terms of service.

Horrible I am at almost 2,000,000 miles on United. This was probably the worst flight ever. An hour and a half before takeoff I get a message that they’re changing the plane and I no longer have a seat in Polaris business Supposedly, there was a problem with the plane, but then there was no other plane Finally, they decided to bring a plane from Newark to Washington Dulles Of course the original flight was at 10:45 PM so by the time the plane got there it was 12:30 AM. It had not been cleaned. It had not been catered. They don’t really have people available to do those things when it’s not pre-programmed at 1 o’clock in the morning. The crew had to be changed And the new plane held 28 fewer people than the scheduled plane There is no way you can hate United Airlines enough The people at the gate were actually just fine, but it was management who was completely useless And did they send extra help to the people at the gate? Did they send supervisors? Of course not. Just don’t take United find somebody else or buy a boat

Flight attendants were great. Food mediocre. Bamboo utensils not Great especially if you have to cut something. Seating a bit crowded.

The crew was the worst ive ever had in my life flying with United Airlines, letting another person move my bag without asking and then the staff saying would the floor be better after I kept begging saying dont move my bag it has fragile things inside. This incident truly makes me they favor other customers more and I dont want to worry about being on the tail end. Especially if they dont listen any input, no care for what I asked but accommodated those who are reckless and disturb others more...

Our flight was delayed 2.5 hours from Lisbon to DC so we missed our connection to Seattle that would have arrived at about 9 PM. The agent initially said we had to stay overnight in DC and there were no other options to put us on to get us to Seattle. While on board I discovered a flight via American he could have put us in but by the time we arrived in DC that was sold out. We were then put on a flight to San Francisco that was also delayed then arrived in San Francisco and our flight to Seattle was also delayed so we ended up not arriving until 2:15 am. Our son could not pick us up so we ended up having to pay over $100 to Uber home. This is the second trip with United that the flight has been delayed causing us to miss an evening in Las Vegas and we were given nothing.

The flight to Houston the agents were not very helpful

It was good, although we could not get our preferred seats, we did enjoy the whole experience from Costa Rica. I still don't understand why our luggage is not the first to come out at the band.

Movie selection is good. Crew did not understand mileage program and were no help. Sick later. Food?

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?

Boarding was terrible. My wife uses a wheel chair and she was in an incredibly hot closed metal cargo box for close to 20 minutes before getting on board

American Airlines changed are gate no fewer than four times. Walking back and forth from one concourse to another was exhausting, especially after all the flight delays.

Hydraulic leak caused the flight to be cancelled. Auto system scheduled us on a 3 am flight. Wevhsedvrebook on the app and hit schedules later in the afternoon. Our luggage per gate and ticket agent would be rescanned and put in our new flight. Did not happen. Our luggage stayed in hsv. Baggage claim in wash dc unable to help. We filed a claim. Several emails about our luggage were in conflict with one another. Called as baggage and was on hold 30 minutes. Oscar said one of 2 was out fir delivery then cancelled. About 45 minutes later both pieces were delivered. Their system is suspect

The airplane was an old model, the overhead didn’t have enough room for people’s items and made boarding and boarding disappointing and stressful. Crew allowed passengers to bring more than the permitted baggage sizes.

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.

Flight attendants on American Airlines are rude very harsh with their time of voice. Nearly identical experience as spirit airlines. However, from Spirit Airlines, you expect this level of mediocre service. You do not expect this from the big three..

The plane had maintenance issues and didn't leave after 72 hours

The staff were very nice! However when our first flight got delayed an hour, the second connection flight was not delayed and the layover was only 40 minutes. When we rushed and made it to our gate for the connection flight, the gate said it had moved to another section of the airport. We barley made it to the connection flight, and overall we were very stressed. We asked about taking a later time for the second connection flight, but the other option was much later and we would have to wait at the airport for 9+ hours. I just wish American Airlines could have moved the second connection flight to a later time too for its customers, and thank you for taking the time to read my review.

Flight was canceled and then rescheduled on another flight. Paid for first class but moved to the back of the plane. Then put up in the worst/dirtiest hotel I’ve ever stayed in. American Airlines should be ashamed of putting their passengers/customers in a place that filthy.

The flight was on time, boarding process good. Good value flight.

Flight was delayed by one hour, then another 1/2 hour then cancelled and changed till the next day. We were not allowed to get our luggage & put up in a dirty hotel. I had cockroaches in the bathroom. When I finally arrived home…i noticed the airline had damaged the zipper on my suitcase. An awful awful trip thanks to American Airlines.

The employees at the gate were not communicating, they preferred to give the upgrade to pilots and not to the elite passengers Every flight I more disappointing, clients shooed be priority instead of other employees even if they are pilots, there was plenty room for pilots in economy

Horrible experience with Avianca, they delayed their flight and when we arrived to NYC, AVIANCA took 1 hr y 30 mins to park the airplane and all passenger get off the plane, it made me lost all my trains to get back home and I came back to my place at 3 am instead of 12 am. On the top of that their plane seat are so uncomfortable and is not enough space and killed my legs and knees, Avianca used to be good when it was a Colombian company, now after Brasilian company bought them, their service quality is bad and their flights are delayed and oversold.

I handed in my suitcase in perfect condition at SAL Airport. And in MIA Airport I received it with one corner broken and the wheels bent.

I like the crew members they're very friendly. Clean plane. The flight was on time. I dont like the comfort my car seat its better that the plane seats. They charge for everything. This airline was very good. Now it's a low cost airline

6 hour flight and have to pay for everything 100 dollars to add a carry-on bag is insane

The check in is the only positive thing in Avianca. The seat is the most uncomfortable I have traveled, the distance is minimal.

Not what it used to be. The sale of food makes them look greedy!

The incoming plane was late and no information was shared. They even announced we would board in 10 muntes 40 minutes prior to the plane arriving, and the website said until takeoff that we had taken off an hour earlier

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

Felt very cramped in the back of plane. There was an hour delay for take off sitting on the runway, but we did arrive on time. They charge $120 for carry on bag and backpack at the airport its ridiculous.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports