Published on Thursday, February 12, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Southwest Airlines will launch its first nonstop service between Las Vegas City, in the U.S. State of Nevada and Costa Rica, the Tourism Institute (ICT) announced Thursday.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2026, the Texas-based carrier will operate daily nonstop flights between Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela province.

According to the airline, flights will depart Las Vegas daily at 11:20 p.m. CT and arrive in Costa Rica at 6 a.m. local time. The return flight will depart SJO at noon local time and arrive in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. CT. Both routes will be operated with a Boeing 737 aircraft configured to seat 150 passengers.

 

Southwest first launched service to Costa Rica in 2015. The airline said additional details about the new Las Vegas–Costa Rica route will be available soon on its official website.

The announcement comes as several airlines expand service to Costa Rica. Recently, Porter Airlines, a Canadian carrier based at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, launched international service to Costa Rica, marking a milestone for the country as Porter selected it as its first destination in Central America.

In related news, Costa Rica ranked first this week on the SCS Chauffeurs Index of destinations travelers are most likely to revisit and recommend to others.

Tourism remains one of Costa Rica’s leading industries. In 2025, the country welcomed more than 2.6 million tourists arriving by air.

  

In 2024, the tourism sector generated more than $5.4 billion in foreign exchange earnings.

The ICT is the government agency responsible for promoting Costa Rica’s tourism industry.

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Which airline do you think should add more flights to Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com