The individual airlines pay for a large share of airport expansion. In 1999, the airlines delayed improvements to the existing terminal to 2005 after agreeing they would contribute a total $75 million for the work. Now the south terminal project is being pushed back another two years at least.

OIA officials couldn't be reached at GlobeSt.com's publication deadline. But business development staffers at the airport confirm first-quarter passenger traffic was down 14.2% from 2001 when the count was 28.3 million passengers. That number was three million lower than OIA's projection in 2000.

Nationally, traffic was down 12% in the first five months, the Airport Transport Association says in its periodic printed updates. Airport expansion delays are also evident in San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Boston and Fort Lauderdale.