Dulles to San José (Alajuela) (IAD–SJO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

IAD Airport Page →
2,043 mi airlines charter/private
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Connecting Flight Schedule 32 1-stop flights Verified 1mo 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

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.

Last scheduled nonstop: May 2026.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
SAL San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) 6h 35m AVLRN3 ACAVIB San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) (SAL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
CLT Charlotte 6h 46m AAACAT AA Charlotte (CLT) to San José (Alajuela) flights
GUA Guatemala City 6h 47m AVLRUA ACAFAV Guatemala City (GUA) to San José (Alajuela) flights
ATL Atlanta 6h 47m AFAMCM DLKL Atlanta (ATL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MIA Miami 6h 51m CMEJAJD 6RAAAV Miami (MIA) to San José (Alajuela) flights
PTY Tocumen 7h 7m CM AVCMIB Tocumen (PTY) to San José (Alajuela) flights
FLL Fort Lauderdale 7h 19m CMF9SN B6NK Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
YYZ Toronto 8h 9m ACAVCM AC Toronto (YYZ) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MCO Orlando 8h 11m ADAVAZ B6F9Q6 Orlando (MCO) to San José (Alajuela) flights
IAH Houston 8h 18m AVAZCA ACUA Houston (IAH) to San José (Alajuela) flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Dulles to San José (Alajuela)
Connecting service available through multiple hubs.
1 Airlines 2,043 mi 4h 56m nonstop -2h behind

IAD–SJO had nonstop service from United Airlines, last on the schedule in May 2026. There's no nonstop on it right now, so today you'd fly it with one stop. The connecting options below are sorted by layover. Nonstop, it's about 2,043 miles in 4h 56m.

Airline Landscape

Carriers that operated nonstop IAD–SJO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines 0 68% Star Alliance
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Connection Landscape

1-stop and 2-stop options for IAD to SJO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
32
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~24h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,990
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
IAD → SJO
68%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
68%
Return
SJO → IAD
72%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Arriving
72%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. IAD delays →

Other ways to reach San José (Alajuela) from Dulles

Nearby airports with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.
Metric IAD→SJO BWI→SJO
Distance from IAD 45 mi
Nonstop airlines 1
Weekly flights 2
Flight time 4h 56m 4h 45m
Departure OTP 68%
Airports within 200 miles of IAD with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.

Travel Essentials

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

When it's 6:00 PM in Dulles, it's 4:00 PM in San José (Alajuela).
Distance & Flight Time
2,043 mi / 3,288 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 4h 56m 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 IAD

WMATA Silver Line Metro now reaches Dulles directly; take Silver Line to Washington Dulles Airport station (about 65 min from Metro Center, ~$7). The connection opened in late 2022.Ride-shares from downtown DC run $35–60 and take 35–50 minutes via I-66 (longer during peak hours). Washington Flyer coach to Wiehle-Reston East Metro costs $6. The airport is 27 miles from downtown; taxis are expensive ($60–80).

IAD–SJO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Dulles to San José (Alajuela) route.
Route details
Distance2,043 mi / 3,288 km
Flight time4h 56m
Time difference-2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: IAD
IATA / ICAOIAD / KIAD
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr26.0M
Elevation312 ft / 95 m
Destination: SJO
IATA / ICAOSJO / MROC
TimezoneAmerica/Costa_Rica
Passengers/yr7.5M
Elevation3,021 ft / 921 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about IAD to SJO flights.
Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport take about 4h 56m gate to gate. The route covers 2,043 miles.
1 airline operated the nonstop from IAD to SJO: United Airlines. The last scheduled nonstop was in May 2026. There's no nonstop right now, so today you'd fly it with one stop. See the connection options above, ranked by layover.
Not right now. The last scheduled nonstop was in May 2026. You can still fly it with one stop, and the connecting options above are sorted by layover. Nonstop, the hop took about 4h 56m.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include El Salvador, Charlotte Douglas and La Aurora.
San José (Alajuela) is 2 hours behind Dulles.
Yes, return flights from SJO to IAD are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include BWI. 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 IAD to SJO

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) had nonstop service from United Airlines, last on the schedule in May 2026. The nonstop is dormant right now, so the way to fly it today is one connection, and the options above are sorted by layover.

IAD to SJO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from IAD to SJO is about 4 hours 56 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,043 miles (3,288 km).

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via El Salvador, Charlotte Douglas and La Aurora. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Baltimore (BWI).