Aero Costa Rica Aero Costa Rica Aero Costa Rica was an airline based in San José, Costa Rica. In 1997 it ceased operations. Its US offices were in Miami Springs, Florida. Aero Costa Rica ACORI, S.A. started service on 11 May 1992 with two Boeing 727-200 Ex-Pan Am (N353PA and N354PA) from San José to Miami. This was the only international carrier that was able to break the airline monopoly in Costa Rica held by Lineas Aereas Costarricenses S.A. (LACSA) since 1945. In July 1992 Aero Costa Rica's flight ML-211 made an emergency landing at Owen Roberts International Airport, Grand Cayman when the
Sun Country Airlines DC-10 in early 2001. In June 1999, the management of Sun Country launched a transformation from a charter carrier into a scheduled airline. New service from Minneapolis and Milwaukee began to destinations including Los Angeles, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C. and Phoenix. The airline also started a frequent flyer program, Smile Awards. In 2001, Sun Country began to replace its entire fleet with Boeing 737 aircraft. As Sun Country reinvented itself, heavy competition from local incumbent carrier Northwest Airlines and the September 11 attacks caused a sharp decrease of traffic and revenue. The airline was losing large amounts of money by