<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Consultants hired by San Francisco International Airport to work on the proposed runway expansion project traveled first class and business class, ate at nice restaurants and spent the night at a luxury hotel -- all on the public's dime.

City expense reports provided to The Chronicle Tuesday show a behind-the- scenes peek at some of the costs associated with the San Francisco airport's ambitious and politically charged plan to expand runways into the bay -- a project that backers say will reduce the delays for which the airport is notorious.</font>