By Wendy Anders Dec. 28: A full American Airlines flight destined from Sao Paolo, Brazil to New York made an unexpected landing when a couple having an argument in first class refused to follow crew instructions, said EFE. The resumption of the flight was delayed for almost 15 hours due to airline crew guidelines, the airline said. The plane left Tuesday night from Sao Paulo and landed at...

Buenos Aires, Dec. 27 — Argentina's air transport unions, from flight attendants and pilots to cargo personnel, gathered Tuesday in this capital to protest against the government, which has organized hearings to study the entry of new airlines into the market, including budget carriers. Carrying flags and signs and beating drums, about 1,000 people from various unions demonstrated starting earl...

By Wendy Anders A tech researcher for IOActive, a security research firm, decided to play around on an in-flight screen to see if his investigative skills could detect any weak links in the computer systems. Well it turns out the systems do appear to be vulnerable, according to IOActive, who communicated their findings to Panasonic, one of the major creators of in-flight entertainment system...

By Wendy Anders Air Canada last Thursday added a new seasonal route to its schedule of flights to and from Costa Rica. The direct Montreal-San José flight will operate during Montreal’s winter with two weekly flights on a Boeing 767-300ER with a capacity of 282 passengers, reported the airline in a press statement. Air Canada also operates Toronto-San José, Toronto-Liberia, and Montreal-L...

By Wendy Anders Delta Air Lines announced they are testing free meals on coach flights on a few selected routes, reported InvestorPlace earlier this month. If you're old enough to have flown before all the economizing started in the 1990s, you'll probably recall that flying coach was almost like flying first class today, although certainly the meals needed improvement. Delta is leading th...

Panama's aviation rating has plunged since 2005 with failures  in procedures and regulations, reported the online English news media in Panama, Newsroom Panama, yesterday. Panama's flag. The disturbing report comes from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which audited the country in 2015. On inspection, the Panamanian air system earned a score of 36.4 points out of a hu...

By Wendy Anders This morning, Colombia's low-budget regional Wingo airline joins a growing number of regional flight options available out of Costa Rica when it touches down for the first time in the country with passengers from Panama. After an inaugural celebration at the Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) in Alajuela, roughly 15 miles west of San José, passengers will then board for a flight t...

By Wendy Anders The low-budget Mexican airline Volaris will launch its regional flights in and out of Costa Rica today, reported La Republica, a Costa Rican Spanish newspaper. Volaris will start its service by offering two daily flights to Guatemala from Alajuela's Juan Santamaría (SJO) airport; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Over the next three years the airline plans t...

(EFE).- At least 75 people died and five survived the Lamia flight that crashed in Colombia with 81 people on-board, police said Tuesday. On-board the plane were 22 players from the Brazilian Chapecoense soccer team, 28 management staff, members of the technical team and special guests, 22 journalists and nine crew members, who were en route to Medellin, Colombia to play Atletico Nacional in t...

In view of the alert in Costa Rica due to Otto storm/hurricane, Avianca, Lacsa, and Albatros airlines had to cancel eight of their flights to and from Costa Rica, Juan Santamaria Airport. Flights with destinations: San Andres, Bogota, Guatemala and Venezuela were cancelled by the airlines and they have informed travelers that those who already had a ticket will not be charged additional fees to...

By Wendy Anders Wikimedia Commons In contrast to most European Union members who are tightening entry requirements for visitors, the United Kingdom just announced they are expanding their list of countries eligible for fast-track entry to include 12 Latin American countries, reported BBC Mundo. Rolando Drago, Chile’s Ambassador to the UK, was one of the main protagonists of the recent mo...

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Volaris, the ultra-low-cost carrier serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, informs that today its subsidiary Vuela Aviación S.A. (Volaris Costa Rica), received its air operator certificate from the Costa Rican Civil Aeronautic Authority to start providing commercial air transportation services. With the launch of this new airline, Volaris strengthens and takes a...

As of Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Condor airlines will offer direct flights from Munich, Germany to Juan Santamaría Airport in Alajuela, Costa Rica. This airline provides services from Frankfurt to Alajuela on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays since 1991; and it’s precisely the increasing demand an the raise in the number of passengers that have resulted in this new route. “We are very happy to i...

AirFrance began operating as of this week direct flights between Paris, France and Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) in Costa Rica; the first flight will land in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 2 and will be received by Costa Rica’s president Luis Guillermo Solís. The service will be offered twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday),in a Boeing 777-300 with capacity for 468 people, the biggest com...

Avianca airlines announced today the cancellation of all flights to and from Venezuela, after a Venezuelan military plane harassed one of their planes. (EFE).- Colombia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday was asked to demand an explanation from Venezuela for an incident in which a military plane allegedly harassed an Avianca passenger jet while it was in the neighboring country's airspace. Colom...

PRNewswire/ -- Copa Holdings (NYSE: CPA), parent company of Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia, has officially launched Wingo in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica. Wingo, which will begin operations on December 1st, brings a low-cost/low-price offering, with flexible amenities to the market in the region. Designed for travelers who prefer a simple and no-frills travel ...

By Wendy Anders The Cessna that crashed into the sea off the coast of Tambor, Puntarenas on Wednesday, Oct. 19 around 6:00 p.m. due to bad weather. Photo courtesy of Teletica. England’s Daily Mail reported today that yesterday’s plane crash near Tambor Beach involved four crew members of the British reality TV show “Made in Chelsea.” The crew was on their way to prepare things in advance...

By Wendy Anders Photo for illustrative purposes. This evening at about 6:00, a private Cessna plane crashed into the sea near Tambor Beach on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, reported Costa Rica’s Teletica Channel 7 TV. Coast Guard rescue boats and planes were employed to rescue the five people aboard the TI AUJ Cesna 230 at about 6:25 p...

By Wendy Anders Source: United Travelers using a flexible search feature on the United Airlines site came up with a slew of low round-trip fares from different U.S. cities. The low fares were found for dates between Wednesday, October 26 and Tuesday, November 1, 2016. A 10-day advance purchase is required for the tickets, said Airfarewatchdog.com. Some of the low fares found to and fr...

An alliance between Air Panama and the Honduras’ Tourism Board will allow Costa Ricans to travel from San José to Roatán in Honduras with just one stop in Panama. This possibility will be available with two flights a week, Thursdays and Sundays during high season, starting November 15 and extending through February 28, 2017. “The two times a week frecuency allows the Costa Rican public to b...

By Wendy Anders Source: Southwest Airlines This morning Southwest Airlines announced a sale for select flights to the Caribbean and Central American region. The sale is for tickets purchased from Tuesday, October 4 to Thursday, October, 6 (11:59 p.m.). Rates apply for international non-stop travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from November 30 through December 13, 2016, and January 10 th...

Starting today and through October 11 Avianca airline is offering special rates to travel this end of the year and beginning of 2017 to selected destinations in the U.S.A. Ticket prices start at USD $399, purchase must be made before October 11th,2016 (or until spaces are sold out) and you can travel between December 1st ,2016 and January 31st, 2017 and it applies for flights leaving from the J...

If you are in Vancouver and want to travel to Costa Rica, take advantage of this cheap flights. This Delta flight deal is available during several dates in November and December 2016 and January -February 2017, enjoy your summer in Costa Rica! Vancouver to San Jose, Costa Rica – $354 CAD roundtrip including taxes via Delta Airlines Cheap flights from Vancouver to San Jose, Costa Rica from on...

By Wendy Anders Source: International Living Want to avoid weekend traffic? Craving a quick rainy season trip to the beach? Try taking a Cessna to your favorite beach or mountain getaway on SANSA airline. Costa Rica’s domestic airline, SANSA, announced an special Costa Rican independence-month deal during September for residents (with a valid residency card) and Costa Rican nationals. ...

Santa Clara, Cuba, Aug 31.- The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the United States and Cuba since 1961 landed today, Wednesday, August 31, at this central city's Abel Santamaria airport at 10:57 a.m. local time (1457 GMT). U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuba's President Raul Castro shake hands during their first meeting on the second day of Obama's visit to Cuba, in Havan...

Source: Spirit The low tourism season in Costa Rica tends to create some extremely affordable deals on air travel, and this year is no exception. According to a recent query on Fly.com, an airfare search engine that makes looking for airfares both quick and easy, round-trip flights to Costa Rica are as low as $133 per traveler on Spirit Airlines. The search parameters are as follows: D...

Source: SWAmedia.com FareCompare.com has released a second set of findings based on a comprehensive analysis of the Southwest Effect in new international routes. The study reveals that while consumers traveling to the U.S. did experience the Southwest Effect initially, those average lowest fares have since increased, returning to the levels they were prior to Southwest's foray into those marke...

Wikimedia Commons A Sri Lankan Airlines pilot intended to fly from Germany to Sri Lanka despite arriving drunk to his flight, announced Frankfurt Airport on Sunday. The plane he was due to fly carried 259 passengers and 15 crew members. The crew were forced to stop the pilot from launching the plane, and the flight, which was supposed to leave on Friday, was delayed until Saturday. Th...

By Wendy Anders Source: Flickr PLEASE SEE SALES FOR OCTOBER 4TH HERE Airfarewatchdog.com announced today a one-day 99 percent discount on Spirit Airway round trip flights from several U.S. cities including Atlanta, Boston, and Minneapolis for Tuesday and Wednesday travel between Aug. 23 - Oct. 5, 2016 (Sept. 6 is a blackout date). Book this fare on Spirit.com using promo code 99PCT. ...

(Archive / Delta Airlines) Delta Airlines, the second-largest carrier in the United States, said Monday that it fixed the technical problems that caused massive flight delays and cancellations, and was restoring service slowly around the world. "A Delta ground stop has been lifted and limited departures are resuming following a power outage in Atlanta that impacted Delta computer systems an...

By Wendy Anders Canada’s low-fare leader WestJet announced last week it will add dozens of new flights to its growing domestic and international networks as part of its 2016-2017 winter schedule. New flights will run from Toronto to a number of Canadian and international destinations including Vancouver, Ottawa, Moncton, Myrtle Beach, Aruba, Kingston (Jamaica), San José and Liberia (Costa Ri...

Source: Wikimedia Commons An expert on aircraft accidents said the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board, was deliberately crashed into the Indian Ocean, Australian media reported Monday. "Somebody was flying the airplane at the end of its flight ... Somebody was flying the airplane into the water," Larry Vance, who investigated the Swissai...

Wikimedia Commons Virgin America Inc. today announced that the merger agreement with Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines, Inc., was approved by an affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Virgin America voting common stock. A report reflecting the complete voting results will be available on a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed la...

William Albert Ulmer, aka “Bill Ulmer,” 49, of West Dickinson, North Dakota, was sentenced today to three years in prison for traveling with a stolen passport and aggravated identity theft charges, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. also sentenced Ulmer to three years of supervised release after he i...

TRT English Twitter Suicide-bombings Tuesday at Istanbul's Atatürk airport left 36 people dead and 120 wounded, Turkish public television network TRT said Among the dead are five police officers, TRT's English service reported. Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin said earlier that the assault was carried out by three suicide terrorists. The explosions occurred around 9:30 p.m., TRT said. An ...

By Wendy Anders Zurich, Switzerland is the latest European destination to offer a direct flight to San José, Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). Starting May 2017, Edelweiss Air will offer twice-weekly non-stop service on Tuesday and Friday, the airline stated in a press release last week.  Edelweiss is a member of the Lufthansa Group and an affiliate of Swiss Internati...

(Illustrative image. Courtesy Thomson Airways) Over the last few months, the tourism industry of Costa Rica has enjoyed an increase of British and European visitors thanks to the inauguration of two flights from London, but officials fear that this joy will be diminished by Brexit. The people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, which means that European tourists can no ...

Despite a Presidential Decree issued last week, the exit tax charged at Costa Rica airports for international travelers will remain at $29. The Decree seeks to increase the airport exit tax by $2, which will benefit the National Animal Welfare Service (Spanish acronym: SENASA), a government entity.   According to a news report by Fernando Muñoz of national radio station Monumental 93.5 ...

Source: Southwest Airlines DALLAS, June 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is launching a three-day domestic and international sale offering extra low fares for fall travel, so grab your ticket and go!  Customers may take advantage of low domestic fares starting at $49, $79, $99, and $129 one-way to select destinations today through Thursday, June 9, 2016, 11:59 p.m...

Source: GoFundMe Dr. Julie Lambert, a science educator at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) who suffered a ruptured aneurysm and fell into a coma during an academic visit to Costa Rica, has been approved to fly home aboard a commercial airline as long as she sits in the first class section with a nurse by her side. As previously reported in The Costa Rica Star, Professor Lambert is a passio...