Up, up and away!

Even though it is only mid-January many are already searching for airline flights to Costa Rica and Honduras. Some have already bought tickets and have sent me their flight itineraries! So this blog will cover flight information for all 3 mission teams going with me this summer.

Costa Rica

The Costa Rica trip is Saturday, May 26th - Monday, June 4th. Each person or group is responsible for booking their tickets and may use a variety of carriers. The main stipulation is that everyone MUST fly into San Jose and they must arrive no later than 2:00 pm on Saturday, May 26th. There are several choices on airlines and arrival times. Since team members will be leaving from different cities around the country I cannot give you specific flight information. However, I can give you a list of carriers that do fly to San Jose and have flights that arrive before / around 2:00.

American Airlines: typically connects in Miami. From Miami AA has 2 flights, #971 and #937 that arrive before 12:30 pm.
Delta Airlines: typically connect in Atlanta. From Atlanta DA has 1 flight, #415, that arrives at 11:55 am.
Continental Airlines: typically connects in Houston. From Houston CA has 2 flights, #1096 and #1055 that arrive before 2:15 pm.
US Air: typically connects in Charlotte. From Charlotte USA has 1 flight, #1707, that arrives at 11:05 am.
Spirit Air: typically connects in Ft. Lauderdale. From Ft. Lauderdale SA has 1 flight, #755, that arrives at 11:40 am.
Copa Airlines: Departs from Miami. From Miami there is 1 flight, #491 / 795 that arrives at 11:31 am after 1 connection.
LACSA: Departs from Miami. From Miami there is 1 flight, #691, that arrives at 9:44 am
AeroMexico: typically connects in Miami. From Miami there is 1 flight, #429 / 656 that arrives at 11:20 am after 1 connection.
United Airlines: United has multiple connection points so flight information varies. from Miami there is 1 flight, #7484, that arrives at 9:44 am.

Research your flights thoroughly! Most likely you will have connections, make sure you have enough time to make the connection between flights! Also check checked bag policies... they all vary. Some allow 1 bag free, others charge for every bag. Some might even charge for carry on bags. Once you have selected a flight it is very important to let me know your flight information so that we can be prepared in San Jose. Everyone will wait at the airport until everyone arrives. Once everyone is on the ground we will load the buses, eat lunch, and drive to Beunos Aires!

Return flights work in a similar manner. Everyone will need to fly back from San Jose on Monday, June 4th (morning flights if at all possible). We will be spending the night in San Jose at a hotel near the airport. Once we have everyone's flight information we will figure out transportation to the airport. The later your flight the longer you will probably sit at the airport. The system works well and it allows our team members to shop around to find the best deals. Good luck!

Honduras trip #1

The 1st Honduras trip is Thursday, June 28th - Saturday, July 7th. It is very important that everyone arrive on the 28th because we will be loading up our buses and heading straight to Choluteca for 4 days of work there (Thursday - Sunday). We will return to Tegucigalpa Sunday evening and will work there until our departure on Saturday the 7th. It is important that your flight arrives before 2:00 pm. You have several flight options:

TACA: Departs from Miami. From Miami TACA has 1 flight that arrives before 2:00 pm. It is flight #314 / 254 that arrives at 9:25 am after 1 connection. (the other TACA flight lands in the late afternoon and cannot be used)
COPA Airlines: Departs from Miami. COPA has 1 flight, #491 / 426 that arrives at 11:55 am after 1 connection.
American Airlines: Typically connects in Miami. From Miami AA flight # 953 that arrives at 11:15 am.
Delta Airlines: Typically connects in Atlanta. from Atlanta DA flight #849 that arrives at 11:45 am.
Continental Airlines: Typically connects in Houston. From Houston CA flight #1540 which arrives at 11:10 am.

Return flight will be on Saturday, July 7th. Check flight information concerning additional charges for checked bags. Once your ticket is booked please send me your flight information so that we can be ready for your arrival in Tegucigalpa!

Honduras trip #2

The 2nd team will arrive in Tegucigalpa the same day that team #1 is leaving (this is going to be a busy and exciting day for the interns!). So as we are saying goodbye to one team we will be welcoming the 2nd team. Like the 1st team, it is very important that everyone on team #2 arrive on Saturday, July 7th. We will also be loading up the buses and heading to Choluteca to work for 4 1/2 days (Saturday - Wednesday morning). Flight information is the same as team #1. Team # 2 returns to Tegucigalpa on Wednesday afternoon and will work in Tegucigalpa until the return flight on Monday, July 16th.

You can buy your airline tickets any time you want. Prices are going to go up and down like a roller coaster so check the websites and be ready when that great deal comes. If you get a great deal let me know so I can pass the information on to other Torch team members! Flights will fill up, some very quickly, especially to Honduras. there are a lot of mission teams that work in Honduras and tickets will go quickly. Depending where you are flying from will determine cost to a large degree. Ticket prices might range from the high $400s to high $700s or even more. With fuel prices jumping around and with rumors of price hikes expect airline tickets to follow.

I hope this information is helpful and that you have good results in buying your tickets. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck and happy shopping!

TR