Do you know the way to San Jose (CR)? 5C XQP->SJO - Nature Air (Let410)
Aug 20, 2016, 9:11 pm
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Do you know the way to San Jose (CR)? 5C XQP->SJO - Nature Air (Let410)
Why yes I do. Follow the coast, clear the mountains and the runway is on your right.....
Nature Air
Flight 5C-135
Let 410
Quepos-San Jose (SJO)
Having spent a few days in Manuel Antonio, we needed to get back to SJO for a flight on to the US. The options were 3hrs in a car or a quick 15 minute flight from the jungle airstrip at Quepos. Having been driven down, we decided that flying back would be the better call.
We got a cab from our hotel – we had the 727 suite at https://www.costaverde.com/727.htm which was spectacular and very well finished inside – over to the airport. I’ve learnt that noting seems to be cheap in Costa Rica and this was no exception – US$20 for a 10km drive.
Arriving at the “airport”, the cab dropped us on a gravel run-off by the roadside and the first thing you have to do is report to a gatehouse to pay a departure fee of US$5 per person. Why this can’t be included in the ticket price is beyond me, but once I had ponied up the cash, the gate was unlocked and we were in a small garden. There’s a shed on the left – open on one side – which contains check in counters from SANSA and Nature Air, plus a couple of sofas and maybe 9 tables, along with a snack bar and souvenir stand (which was unmanned). For reference, it was $1.50 for an espresso, $2 for a cappuccino.
We did some repacking of liquids ahead of the flight out of SJO and then the check in agent walked over to us, saying to just go to the desk when we were ready. This was a painless affair – hand over passports, with one boarding pass being hand written for the five of us. Bags were then weighed and tagged – we had the cheapest fare class which allowed 15lbs of checked baggage and 10lbs of carry on each, so I was suitably impressed with my prowess that the total checked weight was 72lbs. We were then weighed too, along with our carry-on. Am pleased to say that the scales were rather kind to me ;-).
There was a delay but no information – all we could find out was via the San Jose Airport website. I was a little concerned as we had 2.5hrs to get our next flight and rebooking for 5 at short notice would be expensive, but eventually the plane showed up around 10.35am – 5 mins after our scheduled departure.
There were no announcements but with only 8 passengers, we followed the other group of three plus the check in agent pushing the luggage cart out to the gate (it was literally a gate),
which was then opened. We stood half way across the runway while the plane spooled down the engines. Door was opened and two passengers got out, followed by the pilot. He had a manifest, with names checked off as we boarded. No assigned seats so I asked him where we should sit – as far forward as possible was the answer, so with the other party in row 2, myself and my eldest bagged row 1, whilst Mrs Swiss plus the younger two sat in row 3.
Seats are arranged in a 1-2 format for 5 rows, with a further two pairs opposite the door towards the back.
With no cockpit door – just a vertical partition in the middle and open sides – I had loads of legroom and a great view to boot. Obligatory FT legroom shot here:
The pilot gave a very quick safety briefing then it was a prompt departure with no taxiing, using the runway 04 – the opposite one to the arrival, which was odd!
The weather was certainly on our side with the first half of the flight very smooth, then a bit of ‘fishtailing’ as we passed over the mountains into the Central Valley. San Jose soon appeared off to the right so it was a sharp turn then a steep descent onto the significantly over-sized runway for such a small plane. We taxied across the overflow ramp (where BA had decanted us less than a week earlier) then headed around the back of some hangars on a one-way system that clearly worked very well!
Engines off and we were ushered off the plane onto a waiting bus. Our bags then followed – loaded onto the same bus as us – and we were driven through a security gate out of the airport, then up the ramp to departures drop-off, before being decanted at the far end (near the security check). Bags were taken off the front door of the bus, whilst we exited the middle door and were then reunited with the luggage.
From wheels down on Nature Air to checking in for our next flight, getting through exit checks and security, and finding somewhere to sit down for lunch near the gate for our onward flight took 55 minutes. The tickets on Nature Air cost $69 each, versus $140 to do the same journey by private car. It was a beautiful flight thanks to the weather and saved the schlep back by road, but you do run the real risk of a misconnect.
Apologies that the photos are 90 degrees out - they're correct on my laptop but switch when I try to upload to FT...
Nature Air
Flight 5C-135
Let 410
Quepos-San Jose (SJO)
Having spent a few days in Manuel Antonio, we needed to get back to SJO for a flight on to the US. The options were 3hrs in a car or a quick 15 minute flight from the jungle airstrip at Quepos. Having been driven down, we decided that flying back would be the better call.
We got a cab from our hotel – we had the 727 suite at https://www.costaverde.com/727.htm which was spectacular and very well finished inside – over to the airport. I’ve learnt that noting seems to be cheap in Costa Rica and this was no exception – US$20 for a 10km drive.
Arriving at the “airport”, the cab dropped us on a gravel run-off by the roadside and the first thing you have to do is report to a gatehouse to pay a departure fee of US$5 per person. Why this can’t be included in the ticket price is beyond me, but once I had ponied up the cash, the gate was unlocked and we were in a small garden. There’s a shed on the left – open on one side – which contains check in counters from SANSA and Nature Air, plus a couple of sofas and maybe 9 tables, along with a snack bar and souvenir stand (which was unmanned). For reference, it was $1.50 for an espresso, $2 for a cappuccino.
We did some repacking of liquids ahead of the flight out of SJO and then the check in agent walked over to us, saying to just go to the desk when we were ready. This was a painless affair – hand over passports, with one boarding pass being hand written for the five of us. Bags were then weighed and tagged – we had the cheapest fare class which allowed 15lbs of checked baggage and 10lbs of carry on each, so I was suitably impressed with my prowess that the total checked weight was 72lbs. We were then weighed too, along with our carry-on. Am pleased to say that the scales were rather kind to me ;-).
There was a delay but no information – all we could find out was via the San Jose Airport website. I was a little concerned as we had 2.5hrs to get our next flight and rebooking for 5 at short notice would be expensive, but eventually the plane showed up around 10.35am – 5 mins after our scheduled departure.
There were no announcements but with only 8 passengers, we followed the other group of three plus the check in agent pushing the luggage cart out to the gate (it was literally a gate),
which was then opened. We stood half way across the runway while the plane spooled down the engines. Door was opened and two passengers got out, followed by the pilot. He had a manifest, with names checked off as we boarded. No assigned seats so I asked him where we should sit – as far forward as possible was the answer, so with the other party in row 2, myself and my eldest bagged row 1, whilst Mrs Swiss plus the younger two sat in row 3.
Seats are arranged in a 1-2 format for 5 rows, with a further two pairs opposite the door towards the back.
With no cockpit door – just a vertical partition in the middle and open sides – I had loads of legroom and a great view to boot. Obligatory FT legroom shot here:
The pilot gave a very quick safety briefing then it was a prompt departure with no taxiing, using the runway 04 – the opposite one to the arrival, which was odd!
The weather was certainly on our side with the first half of the flight very smooth, then a bit of ‘fishtailing’ as we passed over the mountains into the Central Valley. San Jose soon appeared off to the right so it was a sharp turn then a steep descent onto the significantly over-sized runway for such a small plane. We taxied across the overflow ramp (where BA had decanted us less than a week earlier) then headed around the back of some hangars on a one-way system that clearly worked very well!
Engines off and we were ushered off the plane onto a waiting bus. Our bags then followed – loaded onto the same bus as us – and we were driven through a security gate out of the airport, then up the ramp to departures drop-off, before being decanted at the far end (near the security check). Bags were taken off the front door of the bus, whilst we exited the middle door and were then reunited with the luggage.
From wheels down on Nature Air to checking in for our next flight, getting through exit checks and security, and finding somewhere to sit down for lunch near the gate for our onward flight took 55 minutes. The tickets on Nature Air cost $69 each, versus $140 to do the same journey by private car. It was a beautiful flight thanks to the weather and saved the schlep back by road, but you do run the real risk of a misconnect.
Apologies that the photos are 90 degrees out - they're correct on my laptop but switch when I try to upload to FT...
Last edited by Swiss Tony; Aug 23, 2016 at 9:16 pm
