Los Angeles to San José (Alajuela) (LAX–SJO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

LAX Airport Page →
2,723 mi airlines charter/private 9/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 4 flights Verified 59m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AS1352+1
AS Alaska
B39M
4:41 PM
PDT T6
11:46 PM
CST
6h 5m
24%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1202
UA United
B38M
11:32 PM
PDT T7
6:10 AM+1
CST
5h 38m
33%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS1351+1
AS Alaska
7M9
1:06 AM
CST TM
6:16 AM
PDT
6h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1553
UA United
7M8
6:00 AM
CST TM
11:21 AM
PDT
6h 21m
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) 7h 3m ACAVBR ACAVIB San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) (SAL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
GUA Guatemala City 7h 41m ASAVLR ACAFAV Guatemala City (GUA) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MEX Mexico City 7h 52m AAAMCX AMAVLA Mexico City (MEX) to San José (Alajuela) flights
GDL Guadalajara 7h 54m 6RAMAS Q6 Guadalajara (GDL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
IAH Houston 8h 25m AAAFAS ACUA Houston (IAH) to San José (Alajuela) flights
SFO San Francisco 8h 44m AAAFAM UA San Francisco (SFO) to San José (Alajuela) flights
PTY Tocumen 8h 49m CM AVCMIB Tocumen (PTY) to San José (Alajuela) flights
DEN Denver 9h 3m AAACAF UAWN Denver (DEN) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MTY Monterrey 9h 11m VB VB Monterrey (MTY) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MCO Orlando 9h 11m AAADCM B6F9Q6 Orlando (MCO) to San José (Alajuela) flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Los Angeles to San José (Alajuela)
5 carriers, 9 flights/week nonstop.
5 Airlines 2,723 mi 5h 52m nonstop +1h ahead

LAX–SJO is served by 5 airlines with nonstop service. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and Air France lead the route. The flight covers 2,723 miles in approximately 5h 52m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop LAX–SJO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AS Alaska Airlines 7 B39M 6h05 93% Oneworld
UA United Airlines 2 B38M 5h38 93% Star Alliance
AF Air France 0 93% SkyTeam
DL Delta Air Lines 0 93% SkyTeam
SY Sun Country Airlines 0 93%
Aircraft on this route
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA
B39M Boeing 737 MAX 9 – AS
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AS (7 flights/wk, 78%)
Star Alliance: UA (2 flights/wk, 22%)
SkyTeam: AF + DL (0 flights/wk, 0%)
Unaffiliated: SY (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, LAX to SJO direction.
Mon
1
flight
Tue
1
flight
Wed
1
flight
Thu
1
flight
Fri
2
flights
Sat
2
flights
Sun
1
flight
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
2
Nonstop flights
9
Outbound / wk
9
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for LAX to SJO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
38
Hubs
~7h
Fastest
~41h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,982
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
LAX → SJO
93%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
93%
Return
SJO → LAX
88%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Arriving
88%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. LAX delays →

Other ways to reach San José (Alajuela) from Los Angeles

Nearby airports with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.
Metric LAX→SJO SAN→SJO
Distance from LAX 109 mi
Nonstop airlines 5 1
Weekly flights 9
Flight time 5h 52m 5h 17m
Departure OTP 93%
Airports within 200 miles of LAX with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+1h
San José (Alajuela) is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles.
LAX: PDT · SJO: CST

When it's 6:00 PM in Los Angeles, it's 7:00 PM in San José (Alajuela).
Distance & Flight Time
2,723 mi / 4,382 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 52m 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 LAX

FlyAway bus runs from Van Nuys and Union Station ($9.75, 30–50 min depending on traffic). LA Metro C Line connects to Aviation/LAX station; a free shuttle covers the last mile to terminals. Ride-shares cost $20–50 from downtown. Long-term parking lots A/B are walkable; remote Lot E requires a shuttle.

LAX–SJO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Los Angeles to San José (Alajuela) route.
Route details
Distance2,723 mi / 4,382 km
Flight time5h 52m
Time difference+1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)5
Weekly flights9 out / 9 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: LAX
IATA / ICAOLAX / KLAX
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr76.6M
Elevation125 ft / 38 m
Destination: SJO
IATA / ICAOSJO / MROC
TimezoneAmerica/Costa_Rica
Passengers/yr7.5M
Elevation3,021 ft / 921 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about LAX to SJO flights.
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport take about 5h 52m gate to gate. The route covers 2,723 miles.
5 airlines operate flights from LAX to SJO: Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and others.
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, La Aurora and Mexico City Benito Juárez.
San José (Alajuela) is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles.
Yes, return flights from SJO to LAX are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include SAN. 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 LAX to SJO

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) are connected by nonstop service from Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Sun Country Airlines. With 9 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

LAX to SJO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from LAX to SJO is about 5 hours 52 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,723 miles (4,382 km). There are approximately 9 weekly flights outbound and 9 return, totaling 18 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via El Salvador, La Aurora and Mexico City Benito Juárez. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include San Diego (SAN).