Maroantsetra is a small town that is not yet connected to many things tourists take for granted. For example, Air Madagascar started saying about two years ago that it was no longer necessary to confirm your reservation. Not true in Maroantsetra. In fact, the man in charge, Bernardin, wields a lot of power there. He has probably run the agency since its inception. Getting to the airport: You have negotiate with a taxi driver for both getting from the airport to town and vice versa. Taxi drivers in Madagascar have become a little savvy in the past year or so, forming "unions" and setting prices between destinations, and then printing them on a card so that everybody has the same negotiation leverage. And negotiation is possible. As for the airport, as in most smaller Malagasy towns, you arrive an hour and a half ahead of time and place your ticket on the counter. People line up their tickets, and the order is generally respected.