Newark to San José (Alajuela) (EWR–SJO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

EWR Airport Page →
2,208 mi airlines charter/private 7/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 2 flights Verified 30m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
UA1080
UA United
7M8
8:24 AM
EDT TC
11:38 AM
CST
5h 14m
45%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1560
UA United
7M8
1:21 PM
CST TM
8:39 PM
EDT
5h 18m
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
SAL San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) 6h 55m AVN3UA ACAV San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) (SAL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MIA Miami 6h 57m AAACAV AAAVGB Miami (MIA) to San José (Alajuela) flights
FLL Fort Lauderdale 6h 59m ACADB6 B6 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MCO Orlando 7h 6m ACADB6 F9Q6WN Orlando (MCO) to San José (Alajuela) flights
ATL Atlanta 7h 36m ACAFAM DL Atlanta (ATL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
IAH Houston 8h 23m NZOSSN UA Houston (IAH) to San José (Alajuela) flights
PTY Tocumen 8h 35m CMUA AVCMIB Tocumen (PTY) to San José (Alajuela) flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 8h 56m AAF9QF AA Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to San José (Alajuela) flights
YUL Montréal 9h 3m ACPDTP ACTS Montréal (YUL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
YYZ Toronto 9h 27m ACASPLXJ AC Toronto (YYZ) to San José (Alajuela) flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Newark to San José (Alajuela)
1 carrier, 7 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 2,208 mi 5h 14m nonstop -2h behind

EWR–SJO is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. United Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 2,208 miles in approximately 5h 14m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop EWR–SJO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines 7 7M8 5h14 86% Star Alliance
Aircraft on this route
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (7 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, EWR to SJO direction.
Mon
1
flight
Tue
1
flight
Wed
1
flight
Thu
1
flight
Fri
1
flight
Sat
1
flight
Sun
1
flight
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
1
Nonstop flights
7
Outbound / wk
7
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for EWR to SJO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
23
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~27h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,792
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
EWR → SJO
86%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
86%
Return
SJO → EWR
99%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Arriving
99%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. EWR delays →

Other ways to reach San José (Alajuela) from Newark

Nearby airports with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.
Metric EWR→SJO TEB→SJO JFK→SJO
Distance from EWR 13 mi 21 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 4 1
Weekly flights 7 7
Flight time 5h 14m 4h 23m 5h 29m
Departure OTP 86%
Airports within 200 miles of EWR with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-2h
San José (Alajuela) is 2 hours behind Newark.
EWR: EDT · SJO: CST

When it's 6:00 PM in Newark, it's 4:00 PM in San José (Alajuela).
Distance & Flight Time
2,208 mi / 3,553 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 14m gate to gate.
Visa & Entry

US passport holders enter Costa Rica visa-free for stays up to 180 days. No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for at least one day beyond the date of entry. A return or onward ticket is required and airlines will check before boarding. Proof of funds (USD 100 per month of stay) may be requested at immigration.

Getting to EWR

NJ Transit train from New York Penn Station to Newark Airport station takes 25–30 minutes ($13.50); an AirTrain connection ($5.50 more) links to the terminals. From Midtown Manhattan, the journey costs around $19 total.Ride-shares from Manhattan run $45–80 depending on traffic; add the $17.50 Lincoln Tunnel toll. Taxis from Manhattan carry a flat $55 rate plus tolls and tip. Allow 60–90 minutes from Midtown during peak hours.

EWR–SJO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Newark to San José (Alajuela) route.
Route details
Distance2,208 mi / 3,553 km
Flight time5h 14m
Time difference-2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights7 out / 7 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: EWR
IATA / ICAOEWR / KEWR
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr49.1M
Elevation18 ft / 5 m
Destination: SJO
IATA / ICAOSJO / MROC
TimezoneAmerica/Costa_Rica
Passengers/yr7.5M
Elevation3,021 ft / 921 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about EWR to SJO flights.
Nonstop flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport take about 5h 14m gate to gate. The route covers 2,208 miles.
1 airline operates flights from EWR to SJO: United Airlines.
This route has daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include El Salvador, Miami and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to SJO and move between planes without you. On two separate tickets you collect your bags at the connecting airport and recheck them, so build in extra layover time.
San José (Alajuela) is 2 hours behind Newark.
Yes, return flights from SJO to EWR are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include TEB and JFK. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from EWR to SJO

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines. With 7 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

EWR to SJO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from EWR to SJO is about 5 hours 14 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,208 miles (3,553 km). There are approximately 7 weekly flights outbound and 7 return, totaling 14 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via El Salvador, Miami and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Teterboro (TEB) and New York (JFK).