Avianca to Cancel Flight Service Between Miami and San Jose

Colombian airliner Avianca is reportedly ending its air service between the Costa Rican capital San José and the US city of Miami. According to The Tico Times, the flight service will come to an end on Thursday, January 16.

Avianca, the Times says, has stated that it is phasing out the service on this route as part of its broader plan to reshuffle its routes and streamline the service. The airliner has also stated that it finalized its decision after assessing the “sustainability” of the route.

“The final decision was based on profitability and the ability to provide our customers with quality service,” the Times quoted the company as saying. People in Costa Rica will still be able to fly to Miami with Avianca by catching a connecting flight in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.

Costa Rican tourism officials have reportedly downplayed the report ,saying that there are many other airlines that fly from San Jose to Florida. US low-cost carriers like JetBlue and Spirit operate daily flights on this route, in addition to American Airlines. Another major carrier, United Airlines, operates weekly flights between Chicago and San Jose.

JetBlue has been serving Costa Rican routes for over four years now and its new route, between Fort Lauderdale and Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, is benefiting travelers in Florida.

JetBlue started the service between Orlando and San Jose in 2009, and also offers nonstop service to Liberia from New York’s JFK Airport. Avianca, according to The Tico Times, has already cancelled five routes from Costa Rica and laid off as many as 261 employees.

Passengers who have already bought tickets for the non-stop flight between San José and Miami can request for refund or have their journey rescheduled.