Those that have been visiting our area for some time will remember the old terminal at the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia. It was completely open air and could be quite hot at times. There were also other idiosyncrasies such as no food vendors that accept credit cards in the terminal and things of that nature.
Finally, the new terminal has opened and indeed things are working smoothly. I arrived on a completely full Delta flight from Atlanta recently and the experience was pleasant. There are now skyways so no more walking across the tarmac. Immigration was the fastest it has ever been and the line was in an air conditioned room.
When I arrived at baggage claim, both of my bags were already unloaded and propped up and ready to go for me. I had some declarations to make at customs and the process was very smooth. This was by far the fastest I have ever gotten out of the airport. Cinthya was also happy as the waiting area for guests is now indoors.
The giant fan in the old terminal no longer works.
Exterior construction on the Liberia Airport appears to be completed and travelers anxiously await its opening stated to be in December or January.
Here are some photos of the existing terminal (open air) and the new one (air conditioned).
The new terminal will have ticket counters and baggage claim indoors. Additionally, there will be skyways, which will be welcome during rainy season.
Many carriers are adding flights to Liberia now that the capacity has been expanded, so we hope to see falling prices and increased tourism to our area.
The funkiness of the old terminal will be missed, but it is time to move forward.
New construction and expansion of the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR ) means increasing arrivals and more visitors to our area, making the Gold Coast of Guanacaste a much more attractive location for international vacationers. CPM vacation rentals in Tamarindo, Playa Grande, and Hacienda Pinilla are about one hour by car from the Liberia airport.
Seven more airlines have added flights for a total of 14. New flights coming from Denver, Canada, Amsterdam, Prague, London, Brussels and Chicago now arrive in Liberia. Additionally, Sun Country Airline will start flying on January 13th from Minneapolis.
A Global Exchange office will be operating in the new terminal for changing currency from a visitor’s home country into Colones. If traveling with dollars, no exchange is necessary.
The new airport terminal will start full operation on November 12th.
Here is a list of the airlines that are flying into Liberia. Perhaps on your next visit you will get a better deal on your flight!
Air Berlin (Inicia Noviembre 2011)
Cancún /Cancún International Airport
Dusseldorf / Dusseldorf International Airport
Air Canada
Toronto / Toronto Pearson International Airport
Montreal / Montreal International Airport
Enerjet
Calgary /Calgary International Airport
Jazz Air
Halifax / Halifax International Airport
JetBlue
Nueva York / John F. Kennedy International Airport
Nomads
Orlando /Orlando International Airport
American Airlines
Dallas / Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Miami / Miami International Airport
Continental Airlines
Houston / George Bush International Airport
Newark / Newark Liberty International Airport
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta / Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
