Oneworld member British Airways is currently selling cheap nonstop flights from London-Gatwick to San José in Costa Rica. Prices start at only £386 (~€450). Should you, however, wish to bring 23 kg of luggage on your trip, you’ll have to pay £467 (~€544). There’s quite high availability throughout most of 2021 but it seems to be highest in February and March.
Worldwide travel restrictions are in place to slow the spread of Covid-19. We strongly recommend gathering detailed information about the travel and quarantine restrictions that apply to your desired origin and destination.
A good start is the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website. It provides current updates on a country’s immigration policies. Even better, the Covid-19 Travel Regulations Map is one of the most useful tools you can find.
British Airways uses a Boeing 777 for its 11-hour flights to Costa Rica. During the flight, you’ll receive a meal and drinks.
We expect further shakeups in the airline industry over the following months. Some services might be cancelled, aircraft changed or downgraded. The schedule we describe may very well change.
By the way, this isn’t our only economy class deal from London:
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This deal is set to expire on February 2, 2021. You can fly during the following travel periods:
- From February 8 through March 28, 2021
- From April 19 through June 27, 2021
- After August 16, 2021
We recommend that you use our calendar above to be redirected to British Airways’ booking site. You can also visit Google Flights for dates later in the year.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
The tickets are issued in booking class O, meaning that you can expect the following number of miles to be credited to your account:
- 5,424 Avios + 26 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
- 2,712 Avios + 40 Tier Points on British Airways Executive Club
- 2,712 Avios + 180 Elite Points on Iberia Plus
- 2,712 Miles on American AAdvantage
- 2,712 Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
- 2,712 Points on Finnair Plus
- 2,712 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 2,712 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 2,712 Points + 12 Elite Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 2,712 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 2,712 Miles on Royal Jordanian Royal Club
- 2,712 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
- 2,712 Avios on Aer Lingus AerClub
You can also expect to get a total of 40 Tier Points at the British Airways Executive Club.
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