March 20, 2014 
TopofPage
In your next trip, discover the Delta digital experience.
In This Week's Issue:

Part 2

How Safe are Mexico's Border Cities for Business Travelers?

Although the nation's U.S.-border cities have become markedly safer during the past couple of years, the fluid security situation there demands constant monitoring. 

 

The second of two stories in a special two-part series. Click to read part one of the series, which examines how crime has dropped in recent years in Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana and the effect that the recent arrest of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman might have on security in cities along Mexico's border with the U.S.

 

By Mark Chesnut

 

It's unclear whether the arrest of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman will cause an increase or decrease in violence in important border cities like Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana. The security situation in cities along Mexico's border with the U.S. is fluid, although security in places along the Mexico-U.S. border is better than it has been in a while, says William Vancio, the security adviser for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in Mexico. Vancio is based near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (U.S.) and travels frequently to provide security support to IHG's offices and hotels. 

 

IHG's Seven-Point Strategy 

To deal effectively with the security situation, IHG has developed a seven-point security strategy specifically for its 124 hotels in Mexico, according to Vancio. The plan's guidelines including having each hotel property designate a senior executive who is responsible for security, and to implement security procedures based on the IHG Global Security system. "Our hotels are also adopting the Virtual Guardian alert system, which provides real-time intelligence on developing security incidents," Vancio adds. "Obviously, I can't get into all of the details, but we are confident that this program will provide our staff and guests the best security possible."

Mexican Border Crossing

 

Competing and Contradictory Statistics 

As for the future, "It is very difficult to predict the security situation of any of the border cities, as there are so many variables in place at the moment," Vancio says. "While it is true that over the last several months, the levels of violence in [Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana] appear to have diminished, the situation can change at any given moment, and the border cities could again become a battleground among the various cartels and government security forces." He notes that some statistics and reporting show that eliminating cartel leaders tends to cause those cartels to fracture into smaller groups. "These smaller groups seem to then turn more toward kidnapping, extortion and more traditional street crime," he explains. "What makes defining the security situation even more difficult is that there are so many competing, and sometimes contradictory, statistics. It is difficult for the business traveler to know exactly what is going on."  

 

Stay Alert and Up-to-Date

The takeaway for business travelers: stay up-to-date, and stay alert. "Communication is very important, as the security situation in Mexico is so fluid," Vancio says. "The security 'hotspots' can quickly change from place to place and day to day, so it is important for travelers to know the specific security assessment for any areas they might plan to visit beforehand. Since problems can show up at any time and any place, maintaining a low profile and being aware of your immediate environment is very important." 

 

Mexican Border Crossing by CBP Photography 
 
News from our Partners
(Click the headlines to read full stories)

 

  Delta

 

Delta employees earn profit sharing for fourth year in a row: Airline paid out $598 million combined in profit sharing and operational performance incentives for 2013

 

Back to Top 
Travel News

Travel Advisories

On March 22, protests are planned in Chile, in downtown Santiago and in metropolitan Santiago's Recoleta and Estacion Central areas. The planned protests could disrupt traffic.

 

New Airline Routes and Route Changes

Air Canada has suspended all flights to and from Venezuela until further notice from the airline. Air Canada will rebook passengers who have already begun travel to or from the country on another airline at no additional charge, or will refund the unused portion of their ticket. It is offering refunds to travelers who haven't yet departed. The airline's website notes that it "can no longer ensure the safety of its operation" in the country.

 

South and Central America

TAME Ecuador will end its daily service between Guayaquil, Ecuador and Panama City, Panama at the end of this month.

 

LANPeru will increase its service between Lima and Iguassu Falls, Brazil's Foz do Iguaçu/Cataratas International Airport to daily (from four times a week), beginning April 1.

 

Brussels, Belgium

Aerolineas Argentinas now flies daily between Buenos Aires Aeroparque and Paran

á, Entre Ríos province, Argentina.

 

International Connections

Delta Air Lines will add a fourth daily flight between its hub in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.) and London Heathrow Airport, beginning March 30.

 

European airline Jetairfly will begin its first U.S. route on April 4: Nonstop service on Mondays and Fridays between Miami International Airport and Brussels, Belgium. It is the only nonstop flight between Miami and the European Union capital of Brussels.

 

United Airlines will begin new daily nonstop service between Houston, Texas (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) and Munich, Germany on April 24.

 

American Airlines will add new daily nonstop service between its Dallas/Fort Worth hub in the U.S. and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, beginning April 2.

 

On April 27, Canadian airline WestJet will begin direct daily flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

 

Saudi Arabian airline Flynas (formerly Nasair) will begin thrice-weekly direct service between London's Gatwick airport and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on April 8.

 

Emirates launched daily, nonstop service between Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Boston (Massachusetts, U.S.).

 

U.S. Connections

As of May 14, Virgin America will end its service between Los Angeles International Airport and San Jose, California - which shuttled people between L.A. and Silicon Valley.

United Airlines in George Bush Intercontinental Airport

 

United Airlines will begin service daily nonstop service between Houston, Texas (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) and Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 1. It will also begin daily nonstop flights between Atlantic City and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on the same day.

 

Frontier Airlines will begin flying non-stop between Cleveland, Ohio's Hopkins International Airport and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport in Florida, among other new destinations from Cleveland, on June 13.

 

Airline Alliance News

Aeromexico and Canada-based WestJet have increased the number of cities serviced through their interline agreement, including more flights between Mexico and Canada and more flights that connect the two nations through the U.S.

 

Other Airline News

In April, American Airlines will begin flying newly refurbished Boeing 767s. The airline is upgrading about half of its fleet of 767s through next year (It will eventually retire the other half of the 767 fleet). Upgrades include lie-flat seats and direct aisle access for all premium-cabin seating. In the main cabin, American is adding LCD monitors suspended from the ceiling, audio system updates, new seat covers and improved bathrooms.

 

United Airlines will begin rolling out free streaming movies and television to travelers' laptops and Apple iOs devices next month. The airline says most "mainline" planes will be equipped with free streaming by the end of this year.

 

Airport News

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport now has automated passport control kiosks for passengers entering the U.S. from other countries. The machines collect passport information and declaration data, scan a passenger's fingerprint, take a photo and print a receipt, which significantly speeds up the time it takes to complete the customs and immigration process.

 

Loyalty Program News

American Airlines will no longer give its AAdvantage Gold and Silver elite members automatic upgrades to Main Cabin Extra seats when they purchase full-fare coach seats. They will be able to purchase upgrades for 50% less. Platinum and Dividend Miles Preferred members will continue to receive complimentary upgrades.  

 

US Airways Dividend Miles members can earn 5,000 miles, which qualify towards elite status, for purchasing or renewing a US Airways airport lounge membership. The price ranges from US$450 to US$325.

 

U.S.-based Spirit Airlines is offering between 250 and 1,000 bonus Free Spirit miles to members who book flights costing less than US$100 each way, through April 15.

 

Through April 1, Marriott Rewards is offering its Rewards members the chance to buy back elite status that lapsed from 2013, upgrading one level from their current status. Silver status buyback costs 7,500 points, Gold status costs 25,000 points and Platinum costs 40,000.

Comfort Inn- Atlantic City, New Jersey

 

InterContinental Hotels Group's Holiday Inn Resort is offering two different ways to earn a free hotel night, through May 23. IHG Rewards Club members who stay four consecutive nights at a Holiday Inn Resort property in the U.S., Mexico or Caribbean earn their fifth night free. Members who stay two consecutive nights earn a free night at a future property. Registration is required.

 

Choice Hotels is offering members of its Choice Privileges earn triple miles on American Airlines or US Airways for qualifying stays through June 15 at its hotels, including Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Cambria Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection and other brands. Choice is also offering double miles on United, but only through April 4.

 

Hotel News

The former Santo Domingo Malecon 365 will open on March 27 as the 245-room Santo Domingo Sheraton, after a renovation that will include upgraded rooms.

 

At the end of April, the Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina in St. Lucia will close for two months of renovations, including refurbishing the guest rooms and adding a rooftop restaurant.

 

Riu Hotels & Resorts purchased the Radisson Blu St. Martin, and will rename the 252-room hotel the Riu Palace St. Martin on June 1.

 

The Four Seasons hotel chain is rolling out a new mattress program that allows guests to choose from three different levels of firmness for a mattress top. Guests choose their firmness in advance, and hotel staff places the proper topper on the bed. Already available in some U.S. properties, Four Seasons plans to make it available at all its properties within a few years. 

 

Hotel Pipeline

Hilton Worldwide plans to open the DoubleTree by Hilton Celaya late next year in Guanajuato state, Mexico, between the cities of Guanajuato and Queretaro. The 132-room hotel will have a business center, meeting space and two restaurants.

 

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts plans to open the Hyatt Regency Andares Guadalajara in late 2016, in the Mexican city's Zapopan section. The 220-room hotel will include two restaurants, a lounge, meeting space and a spa. 

 

Brussels, Belgium by Paul IJsendoorn; United Airlines in George Bush Intercontinental Airport by Katie Haugland; Comfort Inn- Atlantic City, New Jersey by General Manager

  
Thrifty Car Rental: Discover more of the world for less!
Datarisk: Do you really know enough about your suppliers and distributors?
Latin Business Chronicle-Latin America On Demand
Latin Trade: 20 Years as a leading business source of information for Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin Business Traveler
 
 
 Resources from Latin Trade Group
Editorial Assistant/Production Manager: Leslie Gutiérrez

Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in 
Latin Business Traveler. Please add traveler@latintrade.com to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox. 
You may unsubscribe by clicking the SafeUnsubscribe link below if you no longer wish to receive our emails.