Southwest Airlines announced Friday that it plans to add a route from Baltimore to San José. The carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to add its first destination in Central America. The airline would offer daily roundtrip service between Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Juan Santamaria International Airport.
The route would  begin operations on March 7, 2015, pending the Department of Transportation’s approval.
“We’re ready to add the adventure and beauty of Costa Rica to a growing horizon of international possibility available,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines president, in a press release.
Tourism Minister Wilhelm von Breymann welcomed the announcement and said “Ticos share an essence of friendliness and hospitality for which Southwest Airlines is also known. We look forward to offering the nature, culture, history, cuisine, adventure, peace and prosperity of Costa Rica to even more visitors from the United States.”
The U.S. is Costa Rica’s main source of tourists and more than 90 percent of them entered the country by air. Last year alone some 870,000 U.S. citizens arrived in the country with a tourist visa according to the Immigration Administration.
The airline currently flies internationally to Dominican Republic, Mexico, Aruba, Bahamas and Jamaica.
