Because of a very delayed flight from MCO to Mia, I requested AA to change my flight from MIA direct to Eis which they did, Thanks.
So we boarded the plane in Mia. They have the most difficult ramp to the plane I have ever seen. Difficult for older folks to deal with but we did. The regular coach seat is very cramped and I did not have enough room for my feet. The solution is to buy the + seating which give you more leg room on the plane. Short flight although we hit some very rough weather on the way to EIS. The plane rolled and bucked through it all. Landing at EIS is interesting as the runway is short. The plane parked as far from immigration as possible. She needed help from several folks to make it to immigration. a single carry-on. Thanks to all who helped.

Bottom line. I will be driving to Mia and then taking the non-stop to EIS in the future.

Thanks for the info, TP. We will be flying that route in late April returning early May. JAX-MIA-EIS. I did use some miles to upgrade our seats to the plus section with the extra legroom, and also free drinks are included, which may be necessary based on the "adventurousness" of landing a passenger jet at EIS! I found your post funny, everything sounds like a negative, and then the conclusion - this is the way to go.

We are tentatively looking forward to the new experience. Will try to remember to report back following our trip.

We do only have a 45 minute layover in MIA on the way down. Should be fine, we assume, but I'm a little concerned about that. I did manage to get us seats at the front of the plane from JAX-MIA, so we at least should be among the first off the plane to help us make the connection.

The last thing I heard is that the train at MIA is still down so walking is the only way.. In my case, the plane computer needed updating and they only found that out at the beginning of the runway so back to the gate we went for 45 min.

I believe the train at MIA is supposed to be operational again, at least partially, by next month.

They warned us about a rough landing due to the short runway. I had considered asking our boat mechanic to hang out in Trellis Bay, just in case. As it happened, we were down and stopped halfway down the runway, and the landing was very smooth.