As I arrived at GIG yesterday on US800 there were interviews in the baggage area. I was selected.

Among the questions were how many international trips I had taken in my life. I guessed 5000, emphasizing I really was clueless. My spouse guesses maybe 10000. We still have no idea and I am not bored enough to try to calculate the answer.

There were four questions about GIG ratings. I gave it 'ruim' on all bit flight information where I gave it 'regular'. Other passengers who were overhearing the conversation groaned at that an suggested information was 'ruim' also, but I do think that is unfair.

I asked the interviewer if anybody ever rated the other factors (shopping, facilities) other than 'ruim' and was told yes, there is the odd foreigner who rates it better. I suggested they were just trying to be nice, everyone loudly concurred.

BTW, I was out of the airport on my way home 20 minutes after landing, and one of my bags was an odd size and had to come through the manual process. I have never been so fast.

Also, for the first time in years the customs guy asked me what was in the odd-sized box. I explained (a membrane for the control panel of a washing machine), he asked me to clarify, I did, and he waved me on.

The biggest problem (at least for me traveling on AA) is getting out of the customs hall. There is one person asking questions and taking declaration forms. If GIG had a Nothing to Declare line it certainly would be faster. Also, better concessions on the ticketing floors would be nice. The places upstairs are adequate but then you must schlep three flights up.

GIG does have a Nothing to Declare line. That is the one with typically one person collecting the forms and waving people through. The other one for Declaration is the one on the left as you are leaving T1 Customs where there are scanners and generally a few people being processed.

In Brazil, unlike Europe, but identical to the US, all people must hand their Customs declaration to an officer who decides whether to pass them or not. In the US with Global Entry one does not use a Customs declaration but a machine generated for that produces a pass.

On balance brazil and the US are similar in Customs processing IMHO. One usually does not wait in either case but if multiple widebodies are arriving there is a wait.

Otherwise as a dual citizen I find Brazilian immigration processing is far faster and easier than is the US equivalent, except in those cases that have GE, when the US is about the same as normal Brazil immigration. The longest I have ever waited fro Brazil Immigration is three minutes while in the US I have waited 20 minutes.

I cannot speak to non-citizen processing in either case.

Oddly they asked no questions about Immigration or Customs. I would have given them high marks on both of those in comparison with US, not Europe.

The last time we went through Customs at GIG, in November, they had a nothing to declare line (maybe it wasn't clearly marked and we were just used to the process), and when you went through that, you got a green light (go on through) or red light (your bags would be inspected). I found the whole system vitually identical to that at other Brazilian airports (e.g., GRU, REC, FOR) where I'd arrived after an international flight. I can't think of any area in which GIG is appreciably worse, or better, than the others, in terms of services for arrivals. I assume that the number of staff varies from day to day and hour to hour. I haven't gone through enough to say whether GIG's staffing is consistently worse than at, say, GRU. It may be. I still find GIG and GRU confusing in terms of connecting to domestic flights, at least if you don't already know you need to go upstairs to the check-in desk area. GRU used to have a transit desk in the main hallway outside of Customs, but I haven't seen that operating for a couple of years. Don't know if I ever saw one at GIG.

I have always had to fill out, and hand in, a customs declaration form at U.S. ports of entry. Immigration officer looks at it, and marks it. Then I've handed it over to a customs officer as I walked through (and they, of course, had the option to ask you to go to the inspection line). Last time I did this was at CLT last October. U.S. Immigration definitely tougher than Brazilian, but, then the U.S. has a bigger problem with people entering illegally (and also a larger security problem). Only problem I've had with Brazilian immigration has been when the officer wasn't familiar with a permanent residency card, or wasn't sure what line I should go through (there's one for Brazilian citizens and one for foreigners, and I go through the first one, with my wife, who is a Brazilian citizen).

I went through Customs at GIG three weeks ago. I believe there was a line for not declaring anything. I'd purchased three bottles of wine I'd just purchased in the Duty Free and declared nothing, because I assumed I was within the limits. While the luggage collection (for US Air) was very slow, the Customs process was very fast ... as was the Immigration. Of course, I arrived on a flight filled with few foreigners, and mostly Brazilians.

Elsewhere on this forum I've offered my opinion on the section of Terminal 2 beyond the security checkpoint - saying it was pitiful. The airport at Des Moines, Iowa offers better services (but no Duty Free!).

Yes GIG does have two lines. However (at least coming out of the concourse AA uses) there can be a long line leading up to where the two lanes split and often only one person taking declaration forms. Add into that foreigners that do not speak Portguese and it sometimes becomes a 20-30 minute ordeal to get up to the inspector.

DSM is a very nice small airport. It even has a brewpub. The services are IMO outstanding there.