By Rochelle Broder-Singer 

Budget cuts in the United States resulting from sequestration (a series of automatic, across-the-board government spending cuts) have led to significant flight delays and longer customs wait times at many airports in that nation. Longer security wait times are expected to come soon.

The cuts have forced U.S. Homeland Security to cut staffing and the Federal Aviation Administration to cut midnight shifts for air traffic controllers and require all of its employees to take mandatory unpaid furloughs one day per week. The agency has also closed some smaller airports.

Customs, immigration waits of up to four hours

Homeland Security cuts began last week, and major airports such as Los Angles International Airport and Chicago O'Hare Airport were already seeing customs delays. Passengers entering the U.S. at certain airports have dealt with customs and immigration wait times of as long as four hours because fewer personnel are on duty.

Flight delays, cancellations rise

The air traffic controller furloughs, which began April 21, have been named as the cause of more than 1,000 flight delays nearly every day since, as well as several cancellations. Officially, the FAA estimates delays of up to 90 minutes for many flights.

U.S. airlines report they expect the most significant airport delays in: New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Penn.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Los Angeles International Airport; California's airports in San Diego and San Francisco; Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports; and Denver, Colo.

Situation could worsen

Several industry groups are pressuring the U.S. Congress to retract those mandatory budget cuts that affect air travel, and an airline industry organization is seeking a court order to halt the staffing cuts temporarily. However, it's not clear whether either will happen any time soon. In the weeks ahead, industry insiders expect airlines to begin cancelling low-profit routes as well as, possibly, high-volume red-eye flights. Travelers flying out of U.S. airports or needing to pass through U.S. security in transit can also expect growing delays at security checkpoint lines as the spending cuts reach personnel there.  

Dealing with Sequestration's Effects: 

• Be prepared for delays inside U.S. airports and onboard flights into or out of U.S. airports.
• Check the status of any flights within, to or from the U.S. before leaving for the airport.
• Check your airline's website for any alerts, advisories, press releases or news stories related to FAA furloughs, sequestration or flight delays.
• Sign up for flight status delay notifications if your airline offers them. The notifications come via telephone or text message.
• Allow extra check-in time when flying out of U.S. airports. Many airlines recommend arriving at the airport three hours ahead of time for international flights and two hours ahead of time for domestic flights.
• Check the FAA's most recent statement on the furloughs in the News-Press Releases section of its website. It will give you some idea of which airports are experiencing the worst furlough-related delays.
• Check the FAA's flight delay map on its website or FlightStats.com's North American airport delays map.
• Bring extra non-electronic reading or work materials, as travelers report an increase in time spent on the plane waiting to take off.
• Look for an email from your airline if you have travel booked in the near future; it may offer information about possible delays.
• Book with extra connection time for flights that connect within the U.S.
• Try to avoid evening takeoffs or landings in the U.S. They are most likely to experience delays, as morning and afternoon disruptions add up and roll through the system.
• Apply for the U.S. Government's Global Entry program, if you are eligible. The line to enter the U.S. with Global Entry is still quite short, since the program mainly relies on computer terminals, rather than personnel. Our April 4 issue looked at various expedited clearance programs.
• Apply for any U.S. government security screening premium programs for which you are eligible, such as TSA Pre-Check (automatic with Global Entry). In those airports where the program is available, it means a shorter security wait.

Brazil-based Azul will begin flying between São Paulo's Guarulhos airport and Porto Alegre, Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul state) on April 27, with two or three flights daily.

Avianca-Taca now flies four weekly roundtrips between San Salvador, El Salvador and Orlando, Florida (U.S.).

Madrid-based Iberia has begun flying the new Airbus A330-300 on its Madrid-Miami route. The aircraft's Business Plus section incudes lay-flat, wider seats housed in individual modules and 15.5-inch entertainment screens. Economy-class seats are also wider (18.1 inches) and include 9-inch touch screens, USB ports and Apple device connection ports. 

 WestJet will begin daily non-stop service between its home base in Calgary, Alberta (Canada) and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (U.S.) on April 29. 

Airline Alliance News 

Qatar Airways expanded its codeshare service with American Airlines, adding 25 routes within the U.S. that can then connect to Qatar and other Middle Eastern locations with a single ticket.

WestJet has added 16 U.S. cities to its code-sharing agreement with American Airlines, which uses Dallas-Fort Worth as one of its hubs.

WestJet also signed an agreement with Iceland's Icelandair that allows passengers to book a single combined ticket for travel on the two airlines between the Americas and more than 20 European cities.

Other Airline News

Aeromexico added a new AM Plus Class in the first three rows of the Economy cabin on its Boeing 737 aircraft. AM Plus seats have an extra four inches (10 centimeters) of legroom, the seats tilt back further and the headrests are leather. Passengers booked in this class also have priority boarding and deplaning and access to Premier airport check-in counters and baggage identification tags.

Delta Air Lines has begun upgrading its Airbus A330 planes to include full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite and new "slim line" economy seats, which offer passengers more individual space in Economy. The A330s are the last of the airline's international fleet to begin receiving the upgrade; the full fleet should be upgraded by year-end.

Aircraft News

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is letting Boeing 787 Dreamliners resume commercial flights. Most airlines currently plan to resume flights in late May or June.

Hotel News

Sandals Resorts will introduce Club Sandals at its seven Jamaican resorts this June. The amenity package, for concierge-level and butler-level guests, will include private check-in, free WiFi and free calls to the U.S., Canada and landlines in the United Kingdom and Jamaica. Guests will also have 24/7 use of lounges, concierge services and later room service. 

Hotel Pipeline

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts plans to open the Iberostar Playa Mita in Rivera Nayarit, Mexico this December. The all-inclusive resort, about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, will have 452 guest rooms, a golf club, five restaurants and meeting space. It will begin accepting reservations in May.

Hilton Worldwide plans to open a 130-room DoubleTree in Toluca, Mexico, in late 2014. Located in the former Hotel Campanario, it will include a newly built tower as well as the existing property

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