On our Thursday SXM departure it took us 2 hours from landing to the connecting gate in MIA. Sure glad I had a 3 1/2 hour connection instead of the shorter possible 1 1/2 hour connection.

We deplaned near D1 and had a long trek ahead of us to Passport Control. After clearing, they dump everyone into one line for connecting flights. At least they let Pre-checkers keep their shoes on and electronics in the carry-ons. The line was very long.

At GE it happened so fast. I might have missed something. No passport needed at GE. I think they did a retina scan, took your picture, and then sent you to the agent, where he asked you one or 2 questions. Absolute simplicity. Shocked me, for sure. Regular people then proceeded to bag claim. Oh, BTW, they want friggin' $8 for a cart rental!!! Not any takers that I saw.

One of the questions asked was "do you have anything to declare". I said yes, about $3300 of purchases. In the past they would ask what it was, rub their chins, decide the paperwork wasn't worth it, and send you on your merry way. Not this time. Got in another line, got asked a bunch of questions, sent to 2 different desks along the way in a kind of no-mans land, and then down the stairs to customs baggage inspection. Had to wait for an agent to serve us, despite numerous folks around there. He quizzed us, made me fill out that old-times customs form, checked the receipt for Mrs. Cruzer's nice bracelet, didn't care about my new watch purchase or anything else we bought, and then sent us to the cashier to pay our $39 in import duties. This entire process was another long walk and lots of waiting for the officials to deal with us, despite us being the only folks there at the time.

So, it appears to me that escaping import duties on small overages might now be a thing of the past. The duties really don't bother me, it's just the administrative hassle. Maybe they can smooth this as well as the rest of the GE process. I still won't like MIA, but I won't be cursing under my breath as much.

Oh, and another pleasant surprise with AA in-cabin service. Ok, so it was up front, but shortly after we took our seats the FA asked if we'd like a drink. As one of the choices was wine or beer, I was shocked--shocked I say. I asked if this was something AA is reinstating, or an MIA perk, and she responded "No, that's my way of serving you". And after our 9:30 PM departure for DFW, she was constantly throughout the cabin, offering and refilling drinks, passing out snacks, and just seeing what her passengers needed. My previous experience with late night flights, is they pass out a big bottle of water, dim the cabin lights, hang out in their flight seat, and hope to not deal with you again until arrival. This kind of made up for the hassle at MIA. I have to send AA am attaboy for our FA.

Another fine trip to St. Martin comes to an end, but we'll be back in the middle of December for 4 weeks. I hear a White Christmas is a high probability this year, or so, that's what the casinos there are saying.