We just returned last night from a very enjoyable trip to St. Maarten. I am looking forward to writing my Trip Report as I think about our wonderful days on our favorite island but I am so angry right now I just had to get this off my chest.

Thank goodness for the kindness of fellow TTOLers warning everyone that the security and passport control areas of the Airport have been a “zoo” over the last two weeks or so, however that’s not saying much because it’s NEVER been that good of an experience. Once again, the lineups to get through these areas and to our waiting planes turned into a mass of angry, upset travelers. With the big Air France jumbo jet set to depart along with other planes bound for the U.S. and Canada, the security and passport areas were insane with hundreds and hundreds of people trying to get to their gates. And WHY do you have to go through TWO passport checkpoint areas? I think one used to be a check to see if you had paid your departure tax but that’s becoming a moot point because most airlines include it in their fares. And WHY are the staff all so incredibly rude? We just traveled to Jamaica and St. Lucia to celebrate several friend’s milestone birthdays and we never encountered the overall rudeness on those islands that we have experienced in St. Maarten. At Princess Juliana they have moved from professionalism to outright rudeness. No eye contact, no talking, a swish of the hand in your face to move on. No management skills to get the crowd moving along behind Passport Control Check TWO when the lineup for security bottled up. People were snarking at each other, pushing their way through the snaking lines yelling that they had a plane to catch. Well - we ALL did and in fact, everyone’s planes, including the jumbo Air France were all leaving at the same time. By the time we got to security, worried, beaten down and upset, the security staff kept up the “Princess Juliana Airport Attitude” and were almost yelling at us as we tried to get all our belongings up on the belt to go through X-Ray. They had shut down the metal detectors forcing everyone to go through the machine. When I exited, the woman security guard didn’t say anything to me, just walked up, threw her arms up in the air menacing me to do the same, then GRABBED my chest. No, “We have to do a pat down warning”. NOTHING. Then she pointed to my luggage and said “Go”. I turned to my husband who was also visibly upset because he had forgotten to remove his very expensive sunglasses from around his neck before X-Ray. (Gee- standing in line-ups for close to two hours sorta makes your mind go numb and you forget things).He told me later that the security person had yelled at him, grabbed them from his hand and stuffed them into a bag and then whipped it towards the X-Ray machine. They weren’t damaged or bent thank goodness but once again the famous “Princess Juliana Airport Attitude” was on full display. We barely had time to grab a bottle of water before our plane boarded but that’s okay…at least we made it.

Here’s the bottom line:

The check-in staff at the airline counters (all manned by employees from St. Maarten) are extremely inept at their jobs. I have been coming to St. Maarten for over 20 years and have yet to find an efficient agent. They need training from the airlines they represent because they are incredibly slow. The nightmare at Princess Juliana Airport begins with them because they don’t know how to do their jobs in a timely manner.

Get rid of one of the Passport /Departure checks. And PLEASE man them with people who will at least acknowledge you. Do you really want our last impression of beautiful St. Maarten to be one of rudeness, with a “Get off our island - now” attitude?

On the weekends get ALL your security lines going. I think they only had one lane open Sunday afternoon before FINALLY opening another because the line inched along at a snail’s pace and then seemed to pick up.

Why aren’t the airlines, which probably pay a lot of money for these services to get their passengers to the gate, SCREAMING at Airport Management to get their act together? Our plane was late and so was the big Air France. In fact, nothing seems to take off on time from Princess Juliana Airport anymore.

This situation did not develop due to lots of planes departing at the same time. Other Airports cope in an efficient, professional manner. So should St. Maarten and the Management of Princess Juliana Airport. If this is a work slow-down by staff then get it fixed. NOW. And PLEASE ask them to be kind to the travelers that pass by their window who have spent a lot of money on their island. Our tourism dollars pay their wages. Remember that.

We started our airport adventure three hours before our plane was to take off. Thank you TTOL for the heads-up about the recent situation or else we likely wouldn’t have made our flight.

Has anyone else been hopping mad leaving Princess Juliana Airport in the last few years – or is it just me?
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