Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson’s blasting of U.S. delays clearing international passengers at airports as an “embarrassment” highlights a visible sign of government spending cuts.

Delta travelers face long processing times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, while comparable cities in Europe, China or Japan are “a breeze,” Anderson told analysts on a conference call yesterday.

“So far, our government has failed to provide the level of service that we should be providing if we want to see the third-most important industry in the U.S. -- travel and tourism -- continue to grow and continue to contribute to a growing” gross domestic product, he said on the call.

Anderson joined complaints from airline, hotel and other travel companies that delays for arriving passengers create negative word-of-mouth overseas that may deter travel to the U.S. and pose a threat to economic growth. Customs officials are blaming the lines on automatic cuts to the agency’s budget.

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