I'm laughing because one of the articles I read on this subject said that at one time the departure 'fee' was only five dollars. DH and I were reminded during our brief visit with the friend we saw in SXM that the first trip we made in 1973 or '74 the fee was only $2.00 US pp.

The thing is, with it included in the airline tickets many don't even realize they're paying one and I have to admit, I hadn't realized it had climbed to $36.00.

But still, I can't imagine having to choose another destination for an extra few dollars in airfare but that's just me. Certainly none of us want to pay more than we have to but we each have to decide if this location is worth the extra money.

Personally speaking and never having been there myself, a lot of my Canadian friends keep talking about how beautiful and affordable Cuba is. Lookout SXM, you could be plucking the feathers off the golden goose if you aren't careful. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />