US low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways is to introduce flights on a second route to Costa Rica inaugurating links from its New York John F Kennedy International Airport base to Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport. The new route remains subject to government approval and will commence on November 17, initially on a four times weekly basis.

This new route will allow US travellers to have access to Costa Rica's Northwestern region, an area popular with tourists, particularly during the high season months, with good connections being offered to a variety of other US destinations via New York, including Boston, Buffalo, Rochester, or Burlington. JetBlue already offers a daily flight between Jose's Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) and Orlando International (MCO), a route on which it carried almost 50,000 O&D passengers in the past year.

An estimated 1.87 million O&D passengers travelled between Costa Rica and the US in the past year, a market dominated by American Airlines and Continental Airlines, as the table below shows.

There are currently over 175 weekly flights between the two countries offering more than 30,000 weekly seats. Liberia is currently linked to seven US destinations and although there are no flights from New York JFK, Continental Airlines does offer a twice weekly rotation from Newark Liberty International Airport. JetBlue Airways currently accounts for a 3.5 per cent share of the capacity between the two countries but a 4.6 per cent share of the traffic.

"We're delighted to be adding Liberia to our growing list of destinations and giving our customers access to the breathtaking Guanacaste beaches and natural parks," said Chad Meyerson, Director of Global Sales, JetBlue Airways. "Costa Rica and its people have much to offer and have been a great partner since we started flying to San Jose more than two years ago. We're happy to be able to strengthen that relationship today while expanding our footprint in Central America."