Arajet Costa Rica Flights Are Paused Until 3 November 2026
COSTA RICA · TRAVEL
Key Facts
- —What happened Arajet stopped flying between San Jose and Santo Domingo on 8 August 2026.
- —How big The route ran three times a week before the pause, down from four in 2022.
- —What it means Travellers must now connect through Panama City, Bogota or San Salvador, adding hours and cost.
- —The catch The airline gives no reason, and a return date is an announcement, not a guarantee.
- —Who it affects Dominicans in Costa Rica, expats, and anyone flying on from Santo Domingo.
- —What comes next Arajet lists 3 November 2026 as the restart, with seats already on sale.
Arajet Costa Rica flights stopped on 8 August and are listed to return on 3 November 2026. Here is what changes for travellers, and what the airline has not said.
Arajet Costa Rica flights have been on hold since 8 August 2026. The Dominican low-cost airline lists 3 November as the return date for its San Jose to Santo Domingo route.
What the airline has paused
The last flight between San Jose and Santo Domingo ran on 8 August 2026. Nothing is scheduled in September or October.
Arajet opened the route on 10 October 2022. It started with four departures a week.
By early August the schedule had shrunk to three flights a week. Then it stopped altogether.
The airline now lists 3 November 2026 as the restart date. Seats for that date are already on sale.
That leaves a gap of close to three months. The Tico Times reported the pause on 9 September, and La Nacion covered it the same day.
Who Arajet is and why the route mattered
Arajet is a Dominican low-cost airline. It began flying in 2022 and uses Santo Domingo as its hub.
A hub is the airport where a carrier bases most of its aircraft. Passengers land there and change planes for the next leg.
That single change was the point of the San Jose service. One cheap ticket could carry you on across the Caribbean and South America.
The airline keeps growing elsewhere in the region. It has announced a Montevideo to Punta Cana service from 2027, as we reported in August.
Nothing published points to a wider pull-back from the region. The Montevideo plan is still on the airline’s books.
What the Arajet Costa Rica pause means for your trip
There is no non-stop flight between the two capitals right now. Every option means changing planes.
Copa Airlines connects San Jose and Santo Domingo through Panama City. Avianca routes the same journey through Bogota in Colombia.
The Tico Times also lists San Salvador as a connecting point. Each of those adds a stop and several hours.
Connecting fares on full-service carriers usually sit above low-cost non-stop prices. You are also exposed to a missed connection.
Copa runs the nearest large hub to Costa Rica, in Panama City. The airline raised its 2026 profit forecast this month.
What ticket holders should do now
If you hold a September or October booking, call the airline yourself. The Tico Times advises asking directly about a refund or a rebooking.
Do not wait to be contacted. No report says Arajet is reaching passengers one by one.
Check any onward ticket you bought on a separate booking. Two separate tickets mean a broken connection is usually your own problem.
Keep your booking reference and every email. A refund claim moves faster when you can show the original schedule.
If you must travel in the gap, price Copa and Avianca early. Seats on the connecting routes get scarcer as the date nears.
What nobody has explained
Arajet has not publicly given a reason for the pause. No explanation has come from Costa Rican officials either.
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute, known by its Spanish initials ICT, has made a general point about airline seasons. Some carriers fly only in high season, and others cut frequencies when demand falls.
That is useful background, not an answer about this route. The ICT did not tie the comment to Arajet’s decision.
No figure has been published for how many passengers the pause affects. Neither the airline nor the airport has released one.
So the honest position is simple. The route is down, the reason is unstated, and the scale is unknown.
How firm is the 3 November date
Tickets are on sale for 3 November 2026. A date on sale is a plan, not a guarantee.
The route had already been trimmed once, from four weekly flights to three. That cut came before the pause.
Nothing published says the November restart has been reviewed or approved by anyone outside the airline. Treat it as the airline’s own target.
Arajet has listed one-way fares to Santo Domingo from about US$119 for November, December and January. Those prices only help if the flights operate.
If your plans cannot slip, book something refundable. Then check the schedule again in October.
Who feels this most in Costa Rica
The Dominican community in Costa Rica loses its only direct link home. Family trips now run through a third country.
Expats who used Santo Domingo as a cheap gateway are affected too. The Caribbean and South American connections beyond it were the draw.
Leisure travel between the two countries leaned on that single non-stop. Every alternative now involves a change of plane.
Businesses with staff moving between the two capitals face longer days. A day trip is no longer realistic.
Travel agents in both capitals have one fewer direct option to sell. The next scheduled non-stop is 3 November 2026.
More: Costa Rica news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arajet still flying to Costa Rica?
No. The last San Jose to Santo Domingo flight ran on 8 August 2026, and nothing is scheduled until November.
When does Arajet return to San Jose?
The airline lists 3 November 2026 and is selling seats for that date. It has not confirmed the date beyond putting it on sale.
Why did Arajet suspend the route?
The airline has not said. No public explanation has come from Arajet or from Costa Rican officials.
How do I fly from Costa Rica to Santo Domingo now?
Copa Airlines connects through Panama City and Avianca through Bogota. The Tico Times also lists San Salvador as a connecting option.
Sources: The Tico Times, La Nacion, Arajet listings; see https://ticotimes.net/2026/09/09/arajet-costa-rica-flights-paused-november and https://www.nacion.com/blogs/de-viaje-con-jairo/que-paso-con-arajet-y-sus-vuelos-a-costa-rica/LBJDSZ5YIVBNNBW462PM53DDGM/story/ and https://www.arajet.com/en-us/flights-from-costa-rica
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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