=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/02/28/financial/= f000739S79.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, February 28, 2005 (AP) San Jose airport plan hits rough weather (02-28) 00:07 PST San Jose, Calif. (AP) -- San Jose's plans for a top-notch airport by 2012 is headed for a bumpy ride — if it ever gets off the ground. Mayor Ron Gonzales says the $2.8 billion project is on track. But there's no solid financial support to complete it, and airlines are balking at their portion of the costs, the San Jose Mercury News reported. In the mammoth new Mineta San Jose International Airport, drivers would = be funneled through a double-deck roadway. High-tech people-movers would whisk passengers from a central terminal beneath soaring ceilings. But it will be at least 2016 before travelers see the terminal. The airport already owes about $305 million. It plans to issue another $200 million in bonds to finish just the first phase. The airport is asking its biggest carrier, Southwest Airlines, to pay wh= at could be the highest fee of any major West Coast airport as its share of the cost. Southwest has threatened to move to Oakland if costs aren't cut. But the city council is set to vote Tuesday on a proposal to increase the size of the new buildings by 60 percent or 700,000 square feet. Airlines have been hit by a dip in travelers fearful of terrorist attacks and increased pressure from discount competitors. "Now is not the time to build these huge monuments, these Taj Mahals that are going to keep the industry in the red," said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association in Washington. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 AP