$77 Find Cheap Flights to Central America

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from the United States to Central America departing on 10/27. 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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Cheap Flights to Central America

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San Salvador
San Salvadornonstop$114
San José
San José1 stop$220
Guatemala City
Guatemala City1 stop$184
Panama City
Panama City1 stop$272
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$240
Managua
Managua1 stop$234
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sulanonstop$117
Flores
Flores2 stops$372
Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro2 stops$516
David
David1 stop$296
San Pedro Town
San Pedro Town1 stop$690
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa1 stop$400
Placencia
Placencia1 stop$730
San Salvador
San Salvadornonstop$114
San José
San José1 stop$220
Guatemala City
Guatemala City1 stop$184
Panama City
Panama City1 stop$272
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$240
Managua
Managua1 stop$234
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sulanonstop$117
Flores
Flores2 stops$372
Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro2 stops$516
David
David1 stop$296
San Pedro Town
San Pedro Town1 stop$690
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa1 stop$400
Placencia
Placencia1 stop$730

Book Cheap Central America Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights to Central America 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 to Central America

Thu, Nov 6 - Tue, Nov 11
Volaris El Salvador Logo
1:23 am - 5:00 amIAD-SAL
4h 37mnonstop
Volaris El Salvador Logo
6:36 pm - 11:43 pmSAL-IAD
4h 07mnonstop
$187Volaris El Salvador
Find Deal
Mon, Oct 27 - Tue, Nov 4
Avianca Logo
2:30 am - 10:50 amIAD-SAL
10h 20m1 stop
Avianca Logo
10:05 pm - 3:10 amSAL-IAD
4h 05mnonstop
$188Avianca
Find Deal
Thu, Sep 25 - Wed, Oct 8
Spirit Airlines Logo
7:50 pm - 11:14 amLAX-SJO
14h 24m2 stops
Spirit Airlines Logo
12:35 pm - 8:17 amSJO-LAX
20h 42m2 stops
$224Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 29 - Tue, Oct 7
Spirit Airlines Logo
11:10 pm - 12:05 pmLAX-GUA
11h 55m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
12:30 pm - 11:48 pmGUA-LAX
12h 18m1 stop
$226Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Nov 8 - Sat, Nov 15
American Airlines Logo
6:37 pm - 12:20 pmHOU-SAL
17h 43m2 stops
American Airlines Logo
3:31 pm - 9:40 amSAL-HOU
18h 09m2 stops
$234American Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Nov 5 - Sat, Nov 8
American Airlines Logo
7:20 pm - 12:22 pmJFK-SJO
18h 02m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:22 am - 9:30 pmSJO-JFK
14h 08m1 stop
$236American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 27 - Mon, Oct 6
United Airlines Logo
10:57 pm - 4:48 amLAX-GUA
4h 51mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
2:30 am - 6:41 amGUA-LAX
5h 11mnonstop
$245United Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Sep 28 - Mon, Oct 6
United Airlines Logo
12:56 am - 11:36 amLAX-GUA
9h 40m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
2:30 am - 6:41 amGUA-LAX
5h 11mnonstop
$249United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 30 - Thu, Oct 9
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 12:22 pmHOU-SAL
7h 22m1 stop
Delta Logo
1:39 pm - 11:00 pmSAL-HOU
8h 21m1 stop
$386Delta
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 22 - Sat, Oct 4
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 12:22 pmHOU-SAL
7h 22m1 stop
Delta Logo
1:37 pm - 10:37 pmSAL-HOU
8h 00m1 stop
$407Delta
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Central America

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to Central America to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to Central America?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to Central America from the United States found in the last 72 hours was to San José, at $96 round-trip. The most popular route is Atlanta (ATL) to San Salvador (SAL) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $104.

What is the cheapest month to fly from the United States to Central America?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from the United States to Central America, 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 the United States to Central America is February, when tickets cost $363 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $988 and $677 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from the United States to Central America?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Central America, 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 the United States to Central America, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 31% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 10 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Central America?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Central America is San Pedro Sula Ramon Villeda Airport (SAP), with an average flight price of $93.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$77
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 44% increase in price.
Flight from Washington Dulles Airport to San Salvador

Flights to Central America: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew to Central America 
Verified travelerFlew with United AirlinesIAH-XPLDec 2024
There is not enough room for carry on when your on group 4 or more . Hsve a basic bag for emergencies in case the take your carry on to the final destination
CarmelFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-LIRJan 2025
Know that flights are very unreliable so pad your days/plans.
Verified travelerFlew with AviancaLAX-GUAJan 2024
Be sure to have you immigration declaration filled out before landing. We weren’t given documents, but the staff was helpful in setting us up with a QR code and assisting us along the way.
LannyFlew with American AirlinesMIA-SJOJan 2024
Bring a book or tablet to connect to entertainment to keep you occupied. This leg of our trip met our expectations. Much better job than our first leg of our trip.

FAQs - booking Central America flights

  • Do I need a visa to fly to Central America?

    American citizens are not required to have a visa to fly to countries in Central America. Countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. All these countries apart from Nicaragua, allow US Citizens to stay for up to 90 days visa-free. If you plan to extend your stay, you’ll need to get a visa.

  • What are the entry requirements to Central America for US citizens?

    With the visa waiver, US citizens are required to have a passport valid for at least six months that they should carry all the time while in Central America. In addition, countries like Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador will require them to also have a tourist card that is valid for up to 30-90 days. If you plan on visiting Kuna Yala in Panama, you’ll need a yellow fever vaccination certificate because the country has a risk of yellow fever.

  • Can I fly non-stop to Liberia, Costa Rica from the United States?

    Yes. From airports in the US like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) aboard Delta Airlines, New York John. F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) aboard Jet Blue Airlines, or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) aboard Alaska Airlines to Liberia Guanacaste International Airport (LIR). All these airlines offer specialized services to their passengers to help them relax and cater to their flight needs during long flights.

  • What is the best airport to fly in and out of Central America?

    Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City is the biggest and busiest airport in Central America. It connects Panama and several cities and states in the US. Moreover, it acts as a hub for several airlines giving flyers the chance to choose the best airline. It’s also known for clean terminals, efficiency, great customer service, and accessible services.

  • Which airlines have the cheapest prices from the United States to Central America?

    Among the airlines that provide either direct or layover flights to Central America, the cheapest airlines are Frontier Airlines, Copa Airlines, and Spirit Airlines. All these airlines have layover flights that are affordable alternatives to their non-stop flight counterparts.

  • Can I fly non-stop to Managua from the United States?

    Yes. From Fort Lauderdale International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, you can fly directly to Augusto Cesar Sandino International Airport (MGA) in Managua, Nicaragua aboard Spirit Airlines. From Miami International Airport (MIA) in Miami, you can fly directly to Augusto Cesar Sandino International Airport in Managua aboard either Avianca Airlines or American Airlines. From George Bush International Airport (IAH) in Houston, you can fly directly to Augusto Cesar Sandino International Airport aboard either United Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Avianca Airlines, or American Airlines.  

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from the United States to Central America?

    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 the United States to Central America.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from the United States to Central America?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from the United States to Central America 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 the United States to Central America?

    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 from the United States to Central America with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from the United States to Central America?

    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 from the United States to Central America up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Central America?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Central America is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $485. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $546 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Central America?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Central America is generally in the morning, when round-trip flights cost $327 on average. Morning departures are around 34% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Central America is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $501.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Central America

  • Looking for cheap airfare to Central America? 25% of our users found round-trip tickets to Central America for the following prices or less: From New Orleans $199, from Houston George Bush Intcntl $514, from Newark $588
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Central America flight deals.
  • Central America has many major countries and cities known for their architectural and historical attractions. When traveling to Central America you can get non-stop flights to most of these cities from Miami, Orlando, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, or Chicago aboard several airlines including American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Avianca Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta Airlines.
  • Alaska Airlines is one of the most popular airlines along this route that offers non-stop flights from cities in the US like Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, and Palm Springs to San Jose International Airport (SJC) in San Jose, Central America.
  • If you’re looking for cheap flights to El Salvador from Newark, opt for the layover flights by Spirit Airlines that have a layover in Fort Lauderdale that will give you a five-hour window to explore locations near Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL).
  • The Mayan Ruins of Tikal and Antigua in Guatemala are some of the most famous archaeological attractions in Central America. American Airlines has non-stop flights from Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, and Boston to Guatemala La Aurora City Aiport(GUA). From there, you can either take public transportation or take a flight to Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores to easily find your way to the Mayan Ruins of Tikal and take a taxi from GUA to Antigua.
  • Carnaval is a major annual festival that happens in Panama between February and March that lasts up to a week and attracts visitors from all around the world. Get on a non-stop flight from Miami on either American Airlines, Delta Airlines, or United Airlines to Panama City Tocumen International Airport (PTY).
  • Traveling within Central America on a budget requires you to fly into countries that are centrally located like Guatemala and Panana where you can access both public and private shuttle buses to other cities and to nearby countries to help save on transport costs.
  • Guatemala is served by two international airports namely Guatemala La Aurora City Airport and Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS). If you plan to visit towns in Guatemala like Flores, Santa Elena, and San Benito, fly on layovers into FRS which gives you direct access to these towns.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to Central America

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from the United States to Central America? 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.
7.6
Copa AirlinesOverall score based on 1531 reviews
6.8Food
6.8Entertainment
7.4Comfort
8.1Crew
7.8Boarding
Airline reviews

Cops Airlines is fantastic! The level of care and professionalism provided by the entire crew was top rate.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Aug 2025CTG - PTY
Read more Copa Airlines reviews

Cops Airlines is fantastic! The level of care and professionalism provided by the entire crew was top rate.

I selected first class expecting excetional service. It was mediocre at best. The food service was cold, meal choices was poor and on one leg they did provide dessert. I did enjoy the lay day seat but the movies were old and nothing current. Boarding the plane is always hot. So boarding is quite warm until your in the air. I took a small personal air fan. Update the meals and movies.

Very happy with my flight. I would definitely recommend it.

Did upgrade, travel in business it was great (more room I could sleep)

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.

It was ok. However, the food was quite poor since I don't eat pasta.

Tell people to remain in their seats during the meal/beverage distribution. Enforce boarding by group numbers. No one was checking. Tell people to turn their electronics speakers off. Bigger cups for drinks.

Placed us in the last rear row of the plane so could not recline seats because of the rear wall, and also made it more of a tight space when the passenger in front reclined their seat. While understand seat assignments, every passenger should be afforded a reclining seat. The odor control scent from the restrooms was overwhelming strong. My wife and I could not deal with it, and she suffered a terrible headache as a result. I kept getting hit by the crew since I was on the ilse seat. No apologies, nothing. They made me feel like I was supposed to take the beating for a 3 hr flight.

There was no individual at the front check in when I arrived. I waited for at least 15 minutes and walked around asking security/janitors if they could help and they did not have a solution. So I had to take my checked bag through security and they threw away some of my items. I ended up making it to the gate only a few minutes before it closed due to my waiting for an agent at check in.

It would have been better if they don't separate families in seating. We were seated in the aile row in the middle of a family of four. It would have been better if they they seat the family of four together than separated.

Friendly staff at all very easy check in and organize process

Horrible airline, upgraded to sit on seats made of stone. Staff were rude and on top of it they charge an arm and a leg for luggage 🧳 never again

The seats are the worst I upgraded to premium big mistake and it seems like no one likes there job very unpleasant

they don’t have TV Seat to Type in space

We had to deboard 2 times due to maintenance issues. They changed the plane, and then we got deviated to LAX due to maibtenance issues on the other plane, had to sleep at LAX and los a full day.

Everything was good, except the seats in economy were so close together, you could barely get out when the seat in front of your was reclined. If the airlines keep jamming in more and more seats, it will become intolerable. I will look for another airline that considers customer comfort and does not keep adding more rows of seats for more profit.

The newer screen was super cool and had the option to watch many different shows or movies. Crew was polite and helpful. However again, many children screaming bloody murder and kicking my seat, and parents doing nothing about it as usual.

Flight was good and crew was super polite. However, there were around 5 kids screaming the WHOLE 2 hours. I understand kids have to come but parents need to do something to control their children. They make the experience terrible, especially after finishing 16 hour shifts at the hospital I needed some sleep, which I did not get.

IAD with the archaic people movers is just a place to be avoided.

Great service on board. Boarding a bit slow due to process. Food was pretty average.

Tastless food and too obvious lack of enthusiasm for service in the economy vesus business class

All of the United employees I interacted with were professional and courteous. The aircraft was clean, the food on the flight was good. No complaints here.

I had no checked baggage but was required to hand over carry on baggage at the door of the plane. There was a lot of overboard space in the plane and I was one of the last ones. I ran to get my carry on but it was gone. I was given back at the plane door in Toronto, so the wait was not as long as it would have been at the carousel.

Armrest controller on my seat 35D and nextbooennseat 35E did not work right. Hard to press buttons to recognize and 35D had constantnpressure either upmost down somit was nearly impossible to make selections. .

Given it’s a red-eye into Charolotte, we didn’t get any food. The survey does not include “N/A” so the rating will be skewed.

Great. Quick and quiet and east. The breakfast choices were a welcome surprise!

American airlines suck they delay the flights all the time made me sleep in an airport because my flight was delayed and I miss my connecting flight

There's nothing I liked about it. For first off I scheduled this trip two weeks in advance then they delayed my flight which messed up my whole trip. So I scheduled it for the following weekend thinking there won't be a delay and guess what as soon as I got to the airport we said in the airplane on the tarmac for an hour and a half. Not only was it delayed I missed my connecting flight meaning I had to stay the night at Dallas-Fort Worth airport sleeping on the floor. I will tell you this I will never fly American airlines ever again I have had nothing but horrible experience with them and I just throw money at them

The stewardess hit me with the food kart twice on the head and didn't say I'm sorry once. The same stewardess gave me a warm Apple Juice with No ice. The Flight was delayed for Departure 6 times, starting from 2:36pm, finally taking off 7:50pm. I was late picking up my child from the sitter by 3 hours.

Don’t know they cancelled the flight day before I was to leave. They sent a email at 9:00 pm at night saying they cancelled. That is the smooth way to say we don’t want your business! I think they didn’t have enough people booking so they cancelled the flight! It’s all about the money anymore there is no honesty in business.

Having to reschedule flights a day later, they loaded by luggage on the wrong plane from Little rock now I have to HOPE they deliver it to where im staying like they said would. International flight crew was very disgruntled and not very friendly.

We will be writing a long, detailed letter to corporate about our awful experience with American airlines.

It took way too long to diagnose and solve the problem of a broken crew member cabin seat. Though compensation for the volunteer who left the flight was very kind.

The entertainment package was vast and the selections were very current. Keep updating it was great.

Boarding, crew were excellent, food was ok and entertainment need to improve

The seats were uncomfortable and barely reclined at all. Very little leg room despite being business class. The crew was friendly and the food was good. Had to use my own phone for in-flight entertainment.

Very uncomfortable planes , poor service on the plane , take your own water so you don’t dehydrate , in a 6 hs flight they sold one time food and beverage . 1 plane was delayed 6 hs , I lost a connecting flight . Then in the way back they announce a delay of 2 hs so I had to take a different flight to arrive on time for my connecting flight . Avoid this airline .

Boarding was excessively slow. They do it by groups in a way that it doesn’t make sense. After business class , ppl that need assistance and any other priority group they should have ppl board from the back to the front. First rows 20+. Then 15+. Then 10, etc. having ppl sitting in the back board last makes no sense. The libe backame long as soon as ppl on rows 10 or so where told to board. The line went all the way up the ramp and tunnel for 25 mins.

Seats are very tight even in Plus, no complimentary snacks or beverage

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

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

There isn't much space in-between seats and even water needs to be paid for during the flight.

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.

Everything you need to know for your flight to Central America

Cabin class types available on flights to Central America

Cabin classes available on flights to Central America. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.

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