Longest immigration line ever--2.5 hours--and no organization of the lines. It was a free-for-all with several different lines and people cutting into one then the other. Loved Costa Rica, but standing for 2.5 hrs just to have my passport stamped is a real deterrent.
Fine airport, both arrival and departure went extremely smoothly at this airport. Passport control and safety control went fairly quickly and staff are extremely friendly. Free WiFi where you can easily log in and speed is acceptable. Enough store selection, but tax-free is expensive.
Quick departures the thing is not to take a taxi from outside, carisimooo, the currency exchange alike
This airport is well planned and user friendly. It is large enough to be efficient but not overwhelming. It is a very user friendly airport.
Very bad service almost 3 hours to process a temporary permit for car when I was the only one in customs
Horrible airport. It took us longer to go through immigration than flying in from Florida.
This place is like many others with the taxi guys hawking as soon as you walk out of the terminal. Imperial beer is the local good stuff like a lager back in the States. Suggest having a ride ready to pick you up. Traffic is no joke. Departure was smooth and there is plenty of duty free to check out. Terminal was super upgraded over the last 2 years to modern standards and WiFi everywhere.
Many bars and restaurant. Organized. Clean bathrooms. Good Wi Fi
It is small but has good shops and restaurants, it may take a while if you do not arrive on time
Much to learn from Costa Rica, upon arrival at the airport you will be greeted by a cordial sign advising that there is free WiFi everywhere, drinking fountains in each room, super comfortable free cell phone charging areas suitable for working with your laptop connected to the electric current , clean bathrooms with containers for infectious biological waste.
Very nice and very good meals I recommend and very good attention
Friendly staff, organized, the gift shops has lots of local arts and handy crafts.
Its got a cheap booze shop right outside the security check...load up and load out!....also have amazing free quick wifi.
Pretty clean and organized airport. 4 time in Costa Rica going through it and it s always been a pleasant experience.
I went exactly a year ago to San Jose and this was my review then: Amazed to experience Juan Santa Maria airport: very efficient compared to new York or Miami airports, way much more friendly and mainly efficient, very quick through immigration process, small but interesting commercial proposition, staff around to help you everywhere, and the best lol . Is ..... the wine bar I right next to my departure gate. I love it, cost Rican friendliness Is hard to beat I tell you that !
Everything in this airport worked well when I arrived from an international flight, the police personnel were very kind, I collected my luggage without any problem, I exchanged currency and I bought a cell phone chip quickly and efficiently. At customs I did not have any problems and everything was in order, I liked it
We waited just over 3 hours to get through immigration on 26 Jan 2019. Red Cross workers needed to tend to some passengers who had succumbed to heat or dehydration. When we asked an airport employee what the problem was, she told us that several planes had landed at once, and this was a normal situation. The terminal was nice enough, but three hours in line was a very unpleasant introduction to Costa Rica.
Very clean, I do not find dining rooms in the departure area, very friendly staff
Excellent gateway to tourism ... although there is still no green light in its entirety ... we are improving the arrival of fresh currency
Overpriced as hell, very few options of direct flights to important destinations, small, a lot of annoying taxi drivers at the exit gate, did I mention the overpricing? Super small, no modern way of getting to the city, just crappy taxis, and buses, only reasonable option is uber.
One of the best airports in the Central American region. It is the ideal gateway to get to know Costa Rica.
I go through here regularly and have great service every time. Security even came and found me in the airport to return my laptop that was left in the bin at security
Any chance that this airport had of getting a good review was shattered after constantly getting harassed by the taxi drivers and car rental people and wifi hotspot owners. These awful people need a to be fined at least, and driven off with fire hoses if that doesn't work.
The airport is nice and looks new. However it took us three hours to go through immigration. There need many more people working.
Clean and functional airport. Did not have problems with lines at immigration or security, as our arriving flight came approximately at 11pm, and we arrived for our outbound flight closer to 4:30am. Expect to pay exceptionally high prices for food here.
The MOST EXPENSIVE airport in the world, more expensive than Heathrow, JFK, Tokyo. $10 for cheapest sandwich, $5 for bottle of water, $9 for 100g chocolate. All the shops are run by BRITT whoever the hell they are, they have a monopoly and captive customers, pure profiteering. Shameful.
Free WiFi throughout but it's very slow.
NOTE! Most travelers must pay for airport tax which must be BEFORE you check in, you do this at the far right of all check in desks, some can do this online, but then you must have printed proof or no travel.
I had never passed through this airport, its sharpness is enviable !!! Compared to larger airports, this one does not stay small. Excellent airport and very, very friendly staff !!!! Pure Life!!!!
Nice and clean little airport.
Here's the most important tip for travelers if you wanna get through the crowd of taxi drivers and get a Uber which is totally legal in Costa Rica.
1. Ask the staff near the baggage claim for the password of Wi-Fi of the restaurant Malinche.
2. Walk out of the arrival, turn right and walk 50 meters straight to the restaurant Malinche.
3. Get a Uber and wait for your driver.
Very good impression, very clean and quite comfortable. To my regret there is no smoking room. / Very good impression, very clean and quite comfortable. To my regret there is no room for smoking.
Nice airport with excellent and comfortable facilities.
Lovely airport. The lines were long during the holidays but they were moving swiftly. Nice shops for souvenirs, chocolates and coffee. Lots of food options as well.
Arrival to this airport was quite stressful due to the sheer amount of taxi drivers trying to get you to use them. They were very aggressive. Some of them even tried physical contact by grabbing my hands/arms. As a woman traveling alone, i did not like this at all. They were also quoting prices 4-5x what uber charges. And not to mention they outright lied to me saying there s no uber at the airport when i had literally just confirmed my uber ride. Other than that and the long immigration lines, it s clean. Beware that during departure i was met by some guy who wanted to wrap up my luggage in saran wrap for $20. I said no and he then asked for a tip. A tip for trying to rip off an tourist trying to go back home? Yeah no thanks.
Very nice, there is everything and with good location
The airport is not very big, it is comfortable to move inside it, staff is friendly functional airport
I didn't like the experience coming back from the airport. I had in my personal baggaged my jewelry and all was stolen. I'm heart broken because there were very sentimental to me.
Pair of earrings that my mother gave me. Necklaces. This is unbelievable. The people at this airport should be ashamed, putting the name of their country on the floor.
I love the airports full of art, they provide a relaxing atmosphere between so much hustle and stress.
Everything is at your fingertips and very friendly staff
Spacious, with the basic needs of an international airport. Good control of passenger traffic. Yes or if you must park inside and pay dearly if you want to drop off or pick up a passenger. If you try to do it outside, the traffic police are on hand to fine you or ask for your cooperation. Outside of the latter, very nice place and good service.
Watch out for food poisoning at the food court. The breakfast just left of Cinnabon. All 3 of us who bought that food, terrible food poisoning. The other 5 ate at Smash burger. Just fine.
This how CR welcomes the tourists. With an hour wait to get through immigration!
The least one can do is welcome your guests!
Small but very well kept airport. The immigration and customs staff were polite and professional. The lines moved quickly given how well staffed this airport is.
The flow of the airport is very straightforward. No getting lost.
Beware of the horde of illegal taxi drivers shouting taxi right outside in the loading area. It is advisable to contact your hotel for shuttle information beforehand. Ask what color the shuttle is and what intervals they arrive at the airport. It is either every 15 or 30 minutes.
small functional airport we do not get lost by store level not bcp of choice you will not find cigarettes or liquor store or perfume or so little
It's a nice airport. Effecient and manages the large number of people that travel here.
It is a very nice and beautiful airport, that is, free duty not as I imagined, it is a bit onerous
Hello..!!
First of all, I want to say that the airport is quite convenient.
It is small but very efficient and when you enter the country, there is a phrase that welcomes you in large letters, "Welcome pura vida"
The truth is a nice detail.
And unfortunately, that is also where the BIG PROBLEM with that airport is.
Because I have had unpleasant experiences with SOME of your staff.
I entered a first time, by sight and at the same time to present myself in a company that requested our services, so that we could go to work in Costa Rica.
All very well and without problems.
The second time I entered the country, the man who was in his cubicle stamping the passports and asking some routine questions, suddenly began to stumble when he spoke and only saw one man, whom later he would have the displeasure of meeting.
It was the person who apparently was in charge of that area and he made a sign to the man who was in his cubicle in front of me, and immediately afterwards he told me to go towards him, then a person of those who are as security guards He escorted me with that Asshole, a tall and very, very fat guy, with a very ugly, red and pimply nose. And he said, allow me a moment, then he asked me: ..
Where you come from..?? From Mexico, I replied.
What are you coming for .. ?? Visiting and for work reasons.
How much money do you have...?? How..?? I told..
Yes, how much money do you come with .. ??
I told him that with enough for my expenses ..
And he told me then I'm not going to let you enter the country, if you don't tell me how much money you have right now ...
And I asked him why .. ???
And he replied that life in Costa Rica was very expensive and that he cannot let me pass, if not, I would check where I am going and where I intend to stay.
And what cash I only had with me $ 230 dollars ...
I also told him that staff from the company I was going to introduce myself to would be there outside the airport to greet me and take me both to the offices of said company, and to the aforementioned hostel ...
Then he got upset and a young lady who was also part of the airport staff asked me for the papers I showed them and went to verify them.
While the asshole in question told me come, let's talk and see what we can do ...
I immediately thought, here's something weird ..
But I agreed to listen to it.
He told me how much money you have in your bag right now .. ??
I answered him, I already told him that right now I only have cash $ 230 dollars, for ... ???
Then he got more upset ..
And he told me very haughty and in a way that everyone present would listen ..
THIS IS EVERYONE, NOTHING ELSE THEY COME TO LOOK FOR A JOB AND NOT IF THEY WANT TO HAVE TO PAY WHERE TO STAY ...
NO, SO I CAN'T LET YOU GO.
I said, already annoyed, me too ..
Why..??
Rather tell me what it is or something do you want or how .. ???
And at that moment, the lady returned with my papers that she had taken to corroborate the information that I mentioned to them and said to the asshole, this one, check it and yes, it's fine, there is no problem, now I just need to check that if it be waiting out there ..
I'm going to send someone to check, if there is anyone ...
I told him that right now I was going to mark them and let them see that at once.
But the corrupt asshole no longer wanted to know anything and he pretended not to understand.
And he instructed his staff not to let me pass and to put me on a plane back to Mexico tomorrow.
And said...
BETTER GO TO YOUR COUNTRY, THERE IS NO WORK HERE ..
LOOK ELSEWHERE.
And the security personnel asked me to follow them and they took me to a small, dark room.
The people who had come for me tried to talk to someone who was in charge, but they could do nothing ...
I had to sleep on the floor of that room and in the course of the night, I even ran out of battery.
And I laugh ...
From the outside it looks very nice, I had a stopover, and we have been treated very well, the food is good
When it was good to work it was before, now with this pandemic nothing can be done
Very well thought out airport, quite logical.
Friendly staff who smile towards the public, parking is simple and very well signposted, as is the car rental area. Zone in which mutual assistance is available if you are in difficulty, it will quickly offer you to call or guide you to your car rental company without asking you for anything in return.
Comfortable transit area with plenty of seating, the shops are very charming and the products are local. Be careful though, airport prices are always more expensive than outside for products other than alcohol and highly taxed cigarettes.
Prepare to be robbed when you leave Costa Rica.
A $29 departure tax. Unfathomable.
I tried to buy a packet of crisps and a bag of M&Ms for the flight - Total of $18. How unbelievable!
And, don't buy any liquids in the airport, you'll have to throw them out before you board.
Good deal. Amiability. Good service. Thanks Costa Rica !!!
The prices are completely indecent. Half sandwiches starting from at least $ 10, maybe a little too much.
Insufficient signage and desk / gate boards
Despite the fact that people ignore the issue of distancing, there is always a friendly official who guides "the rebels" there is only one thing missing to make it perfect: sinks outside the bathroom area
You'll probably have to use this airport, but you'll enjoy it anyway!
The Airport is simple but quite modern. On Saturdays in high season it is quite full, long lines to go through immigration. There is no waiting room for family members waiting for loved ones. It is difficult to find parking on weekends or high season. Customer service is average. A little more security at the main entrance would not be a bad idea.
I wasn't at the airport too long as I only got there with enough time to hit up a gift shop before waiting a bit for my flight, but it was a largely pleasant experience. My only annoyance was the guards made me take out all of my video game items in my carry on bag before going through which was a pain because it was packed to the brim.
The gift shops were nice and let you sample some coffee and other items.
Cozy little airport, friendly staff. You don't find that everywhere.
The waiting time for migration is almost 2 hours. There are too many people. The rows are poorly organized. It's awful waiting
Small but well maintained. Free and fast Wi-Fi connection.
The attention was timely both to leave and to enter, there are no complaints. A little improve the attention to night flights with the number of people, but no problem.
Color me impressed. This airport was quick, new and clean and had great stores and restaurants. I wish LaGuardia was this nice!
Only issue is rental car lots are 10 min away and due to using stop signs instead of traffic lights it can take 20 min from Avis, etc.
This access is very easy compared to other airports ..
The airport is good in general, there is to charge the mobile and carpet throughout the area. When you arrive long wait on the tape 40 minutes to collect the suitcase !!! A lot of heat and humidity while you wait.
You have to pay taxes to leave costa rica before going to the counter otherwise they send you back. Also this airport is close to potential volcanic eruptions so make sure to take extra money in case the airport closes (which seems to happen quite often).
The airport is fine, but the prices are excessive $ 5 a bottle of local water . And unfortunately this reflects the trade of the general country traders in Costa Rica think that tourists are cash cows which also influences the locals which we are part for info local brands sell their products more expensive than in other countries a subscription, it's a shame, the country is beautiful and the people are nice.
Keep in mind that the traffickers are like sopilotes and there is no parking area to wait for visitors
Long lines, be warned. 1.5+ hours just waiting to get to customs/immigration. Slow movement . Plan accordingly .
