U.S. Travelers Face Delays in Homecoming : A shortage of INS agents may mean long lines for those re-entering country.

If you are planning to go abroad this summer, you may want to allow time for some unexpected delays on re-entering the United States.

As the peak summer vacation season approaches, travel industry spokesmen warn that international travelers may experience a repeat of last year’s snafus in trying to come back into the country--even if they are U.S. citizens and have nothing to declare.

The problem this time is a continuing shortage of Immigration and Naturalization Service agents. Last summer, the INS had only 1,225 agents to process returning citizens and foreign visitors. There should be 1,875 on duty by September, but some are not yet in place.

Moreover, unlike the case in previous years, the INS is not allowing U.S. citizens to skip INS inspection entirely and go straight to the Customs Service counters--a practice that has helped ease the bottleneck in the past.

Partly because of security concerns, the INS has eliminated this “citizen bypass” program. Immigration authorities will allow some returning citizens to get by without a formal computer check, but they still plan to examine the papers of every returnee.

The changes are causing some apprehension. Richard Norton, director of the Air Transport Assn. of America, an airline trade group, warns that there will be “major delays . . . within several weeks” if the INS does not move more quickly to fill the gap.

Norton is worried that continued delays might crimp the booming U.S. tourist market. “When people see impediments put in place, they simply go elsewhere,” he warns. “The United States has the reputation of the worst of all places to visit from an entry standpoint.”

The impact already is visible. John F. Kennedy International Airport, the No. 1 port of entry for those entering the United States, is experiencing delays, says Ed O’Connor, manager of government affairs for aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

With the new funding authorization, Kennedy is scheduled to receive 88 new INS agents but so far only some of them have begun working. Compounding the problem is the inadequate size of the processing hall for new arrivals there.

As a result, lines holding people waiting to see an agent snake out of the hall and into airport corridors. Other passengers are held on airplanes until there is room for them to wait in the terminal.

Critics say the INS has no excuse for not having put the additional agents in place by now. Following the long waits of last summer, President Bush approved a $5 surcharge on returnees from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. The money was to pay for additional inspection agents.

The International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, suggests that all international passengers be cleared through local inspections within 45 minutes after arriving in a country.

But last summer, foreigners and America citizens routinely experienced waits of two or three hours before even reaching an INS agent. At Los Angeles International Airport, passengers on one SwissAir flight were forced to wait five hours before clearing all hurdles.

INS officials contend that their new optional program for skipping computer checks during heavy traffic periods will keep delays to a minimum. “(It) will significantly reduce inspection time,” says Virginia Kice, an agency spokeswoman.

But the airports are withholding their congratulations until they see the system in action. “The . . . jury is still out,” says Frederick Elder, aviation director at Miami International Airport.

The outlook is uncertain.

The ATA’s Norton suggests that the INS take a cue from the Customs Service, which has begun allowing most passengers to clear unimpeded, but makes spot searches of those whose computer profiles match those that traditionally involve the most violations.

But INS contends that its agents must inspect the documents of everyone who enters the United States. “We are determined to do everything we can do without compromising national security,” Kice says.

At least one airport is reporting an improvement over last summer’s woes. Los Angeles International Airport has been allocated 40 additional INS agents, and authorities said almost all were to have been on active duty this week.

“At this point in time, we are very happy with what we have,” said airport manager Steve Yee.