San José (Alajuela) to Houston (SJO–IAH) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SJO Airport Page →
1,557 mi airlines charter/private 35/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 11 flights Verified 7m 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
UA1097+1
UA United
7M8
12:30 AM
CST TM
5:28 AM
CDT
3h 58m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AC4898cs
AC Air Canada
7M8
12:30 AM
CST TM
5:28 AM
CDT
3h 58m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1447+1
UA United
7M8
7:55 AM
CST TM
12:43 PM
CDT
3h 48m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1589+1
UA United
7M8
11:13 AM
CST TM
4:11 PM
CDT
3h 58m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1099+1
UA United
7M8
1:25 PM
CST TM
6:23 PM
CDT
3h 58m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2448+1
UA United
7M8
7:28 AM
CDT TC
10:11 AM
CST
3h 43m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AC4989cs
AC Air Canada
7M8
7:28 AM
CDT TE
10:11 AM
CST
3h 43m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1096+1
UA United
7M8
9:38 AM
CDT TD
12:21 PM
CST
3h 43m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1280+1
UA United
7M8
4:55 PM
CDT TC
7:37 PM
CST
3h 42m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1055+2
UA United
B38M
7:57 PM
CDT TE
10:39 PM
CST
3h 42m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AC3006cs
AC Air Canada
7M8
7:57 PM
CDT TE
10:39 PM
CST
3h 42m
46%
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) 5h 35m ACAVIB ACAVN3 San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) (SAL) to Houston flights
MEX Mexico City 6h 4m AMAVLR AMF9NH Mexico City (MEX) to Houston flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 6h 34m AA AAASAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Houston flights
MIA Miami 6h 39m 6RAAAC AAAVCX Miami (MIA) to Houston flights
PTY Tocumen 6h 48m AVCMIB CMUA Tocumen (PTY) to Houston flights
MCO Orlando 6h 50m F9Q6WN F9NHNZ Orlando (MCO) to Houston flights
ATL Atlanta 7h 10m AFDLKL AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to Houston flights
FLL Fort Lauderdale 7h 16m B6 ADAVB6 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Houston flights
MGA Managua 7h 30m CM ACUA Managua (MGA) to Houston flights
GUA Guatemala City 7h 44m ACAVCM ACUA Guatemala City (GUA) to Houston flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San José (Alajuela) to Houston
2 carriers, 35 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 1,557 mi 3h 58m nonstop +1h ahead

SJO–IAH is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines and American Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 1,557 miles in approximately 3h 58m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop SJO–IAH service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: AC 28 7M8 3h48-3h58 Star Alliance AC
AA American Airlines 0 Oneworld
Aircraft on this route
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – AC, UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (28 flights/wk, 100%)
Oneworld: AA (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, SJO to IAH direction.
Mon
5
flights
Tue
5
flights
Wed
5
flights
Thu
5
flights
Fri
5
flights
Sat
5
flights
Sun
5
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
5
Nonstop flights
35
Outbound / wk
42
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for SJO to IAH.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
29
Hubs
~5h
Fastest
~42h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,001
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
SJO → IAH
85%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Arriving
85%
Return
IAH → SJO
80%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
80%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. IAH delays →

Other ways to reach Houston from San José (Alajuela)

Nearby airports with service to George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Metric SJO→IAH LIR→IAH
Distance from SJO 100 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 3
Weekly flights 35 21
Flight time 3h 58m 3h 42m
Airports within 200 miles of SJO with service to George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+1h
Houston is 1 hour ahead of San José (Alajuela).
SJO: CST · IAH: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in San José (Alajuela), it's 7:00 PM in Houston.
Distance & Flight Time
1,557 mi / 2,505 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 3h 58m gate to gate.
Getting from IAH

No direct rail from IAH. The METRO bus 102 (IAH Express) runs to downtown Houston's transit center (60–90 min, $1.25). Taxis to downtown Houston cost $50–70. Ride-hails pick up at the designated Rideshare zones outside baggage claim on the lower level.IAH has five terminals (A–E) connected by an underground tunnel with trams. Terminal D handles international arrivals. Rental car agencies are in a consolidated facility adjacent to Terminal C; a free IAH Connector bus runs between terminals and the rental car center. The Galleria / Uptown area costs $35–50 by ride-hail.

Houston Climate

Humid subtropical climate. Hot, humid, and wet for much of the year. Summers are brutal (33–38°C) with high humidity and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms. Severe storms with hail and high winds regularly cause ground stops from April through September. Houston's flooding risk is significant. Heavy rain events, including tropical system remnants, have flooded airport roads, cutting off surface access even when the airport itself remains operational.

Winters are mild (5–18°C) with occasional ice storms. These are rare but highly disruptive when they occur. Hurricane season (June–November) requires monitoring for Gulf storms. October through March has the best flying weather.

SJO–IAH Quick Facts

Key statistics for the San José (Alajuela) to Houston route.
Route details
Distance1,557 mi / 2,505 km
Flight time3h 58m
Time difference+1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights35 out / 42 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: SJO
IATA / ICAOSJO / MROC
TimezoneAmerica/Costa_Rica
Passengers/yr7.5M
Elevation3,021 ft / 921 m
Destination: IAH
IATA / ICAOIAH / KIAH
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr46.7M
Elevation97 ft / 30 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SJO to IAH flights.
Nonstop flights from Juan Santamaría International Airport to George Bush Intercontinental Airport take about 3h 58m gate to gate. The route covers 1,557 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from SJO to IAH: United Airlines and American Airlines.
This route has frequent 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, Mexico City Benito Juárez and Dallas Fort Worth.
Houston is 1 hour ahead of San José (Alajuela).
Yes, return flights from IAH to SJO are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include LIR. 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 SJO to IAH

Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines and American Airlines. With 35 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

SJO to IAH Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SJO to IAH is about 3 hours 58 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,557 miles (2,505 km). There are approximately 35 weekly flights outbound and 42 return, totaling 77 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via El Salvador, Mexico City Benito Juárez and Dallas Fort Worth. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Liberia (LIR).