San Jose Airport

Do not pay the airport exit tax with a credit card! hen I got my credit card statement from Capital One I had a $5 transaction fee for paying the airport tax. Plus I had interest accruing from it. The airport tax payment was considered a cash advance not a purchase. I was surprised. I paid the airport tax in Argentina with my Visa from U.S. Bank and the transaction was not considered as a cash advance.

Just a tip re: the 26$ USD exit tax. It may be paid in advance at most hotels. With that in hand you can skip the main line and get to check-in a lot faster. The airport is suffering majorly from increased tourism and business travellers. Hopefully the new gates they are adding/repairing will help alleviate the wait times. Our flight out (Dec 1 2007) on Air Canada (AC999) was delayed by various (given) reasons: not enough busses to get you to your plane not enough security to escort you to your plane too many planes etc. My best advice is don't get too worked up like some passengers I saw relax and enjoy your final few moments in beautiful Costa Rica.

My number one complaint is the layout - the terminals are organized lengthwise northeast of the runway complex and the long-term parking is opposite on the southwest side of the field. If you arrive in Terminal A (the newer one hosting primarily Southwest and American) you must cross the road via the skybridge descend through baggage claim and then walk several hundred meters through the parking garage to the shuttle bus stop. Then you wait for the bus which once it arrives proceeds southeast to pick up Terminal C arrivals and finally loops back around to head back toward long-term parking. Oh unless there is a driver's shift change in which case the route diverts to a remote area even farther southeast so that personnel can be exchanged. From the moment one walks off the plane until arriving at one's car can take upwards of 30 minutes (without checkin baggage). Hint : If you've only hand-carry baggage don't cross the Skybridge when arriving in Terminal A. Instead go down the stairs on the Departures side and turn left once outside. There is a shuttle bus stop right there - much less walking.

The latest edition to the airport taxes in Costa Rica not only include a $26 USD exit tax per person but also now is planned a $15 USD entry tax per person. For a family of 4 visiting thats $164 USD. This extra $15 is implemented to replace an existing 3% hotel tourism tax that should be levied at hotels but inconsistently collected. Unlike the hotel tourist tax this new $15 USD tax is levied across tourists and nationals - whether or not they intended on actually staying at a hotel.

Yes there is a $26 USD departure tax that must be paid before you "check in" however you may pay with credit card. I found the airport to be overall very clean and efficiently maintained. Plenty of fast food type joints but no other restaurant options. Nicely done shops offering "all things Costa Rican" and the usual duty-free stores which offered a very good selection of aged-rums (from Costa Rica Nicaragua Guatemala Cuba etc). Samples were usually offered. American Airlines does not have their own lounge however one could get a day-pass to the lounge downstairs for $20 USD.

While convenient in terms of location for Silicon Valley Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) leaves much to be desired as a gateway. Terminal A is the more "modern" terminal but the problem is that all passengers have to go through two very narrow passages for security screening - at peak times the queue will extend out to the carpark. If you're flying Southwest or American you will have to endure this. Fortunately once you're through the security it's usually pretty easy - the gates are very close by if you're flying Southwest a bit of a walk if you're on AA. Food choices are limited to a Starbucks McDonalds and other fast food outlets. Terminal C is the older terminal that lacks airbridges and requires the passenger to walk out on the tarmac and go up some mobile stairs like in the old days. However at times processing can be faster. If you're on Alaska Airlines the security line is relatively short at the gate. However there are no toilets once you get into the gate area.

Flying out plan to arrive early on Fridays especially if there's a conference in town. There is often a 30-45 minutes wait for security.

SJC has replaced Houston-Hobby (HOU) as my least favorite airport ever. First you should know that the two terminals are very different experiences. Terminal A is the newer cleaner one but is still very small with little to no room for people to wait on arriving flights. Obviously it was designed before 9/11 when you could go to the gate to wait on arriving passengers. Services inside security are limited. Other than that Terminal A is ok. The parking garage is always very close and rates are reasonable. Terminal C is a nightmare in every respect. First they simply refuse to hire enough security screeners. Many times I have been in a security line for 45 minutes because there was only one lane open during peak hours. Given the low amount of traffic at this airport compared to others in the Bay Area this is inexplicable. There is little or no food or drink inside the security area either so plan ahead. The entire terminal is very dirty and sometimes smells strange. They don't even have jetways so you will have to walk out on the tarmac under a tattered canvas cover and up a rollaway stairway to get into your plane. Not a big deal to me but it's kind of ghetto and the old people don't seem to appreciate the climb. The long-term parking area is a long ride on the very slow shuttle bus. Shuttle service is spotty late at night. It's faster and cheaper to park at one of the off-airport parking lots. Signage throughout the airport is unreliable and intermittent. However when driving it's flat-out wrong. Good luck finding your way to 101 the first time you drive out of the airport. If you follow the markings on the pavement you'll be going around the whole airport again. A lot of people in the Bay Area have an irrational fear of large airports and thus seem to favor SJC but nobody can tell me with a straight face that this place is well-run.

San Jose airport in Costa Rica is a small airport. Once you get off your flight you are out of there in twenty minutes. Immigration lines are short and it is very easy to find transportation. It took five minutes to get through security. The only complaint is there are only two or three places to eat and they are all more expensive (or so it seems) than other airports. There are only eight gates so you should not be confused.

Free WiFi. SJO now offers free WiFi in all areas inside the terminal. Just click and go. I guess it is a way to please PAX while the works have not been re-started. I recommend get a meal before you get there. BK charges US$9 for a sad looking burger and that's about it. There is also free coffee at Britt Coffee Shop