Most people living near airports moved in after the airport was built. They, like, knew the airport was there when they bought or rented the place! And today’s planes are far quieter than they were decades ago. Airport noise is less of a thing than it used to be.
So I don’t have a lot of sympathy when people complain and try to restrict flights in and out of airports, complaining about the noise.
Sure, sometimes fight paths change. For instance, Donald Trump once filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming that planes departing West Palm Beach were being routed over Mar-a-Lago. But for the most part these complaints are risible.
It turns out that there just aren’t that many people complaining, after all. At D.C.’s close-in Washington National airport, where noise is often cited as a reason to restrict flights, 78% of complaints in a year came from just one person. (HT: @crucker)
Insane statistic:
78% of noise complaints lodged against Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were made by a single household.
Reminder that NIMBYs are a very loud minority of people. pic.twitter.com/HnPLYYNY2p
— Alec Stapp (@AlecStapp) February 26, 2024
It’s not just National airport, either.
- San Francisco’s airport receives a large number of noice complaints, but it helps to have some context: “three residents of Daly City placed 1,034 calls in December 2015, and six Woodside callers complained 2,432 times in November.”
- One resident in Northwest DC accounted for 6852 of 8760 (78%) of noise complaints about Washington National airport in 2015.
- One person 30 miles away accounted for 3555 of 4870 (73%) of noise complaints about Denver airport. 4 people accounted for 96% of complaints in 2015.
- One person 11 miles away accounted for 1024 of 1223 (84%) of noise complaints about Washington Dulles airport in 2015.
- Looking only at June 2015 data, 1 person accounted for 50% and 3 people accounted for 88% of noise complaints about LAX.
Copyright: carlosyudica / 123RF Stock Photo
Large numbers of noise complaints make it seem like the public is up in arms, and that voters will come out against politicians who permit runway expansion, growth in air travel, or fuel efficient landing patterns.
However there’s literally a button that will help people submit hundreds of complaints automatically.
Never bothered me because I have been deaf in my right ear , and half-deaf in my left ear , since the Army . I have natural peace and quiet all the time .
Living next to the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan, I wish governments (and society at large) took noise complaints more seriously
Some people like these serial complainers, as well as blowhard delta fanboys who post walls of text on every blog post, have absolutely no life
35 years ago my wife and I lived a mile from BNA. When they shut down Hoover Stone and built the runway east of Donelson Pike the path took the jets right over our house. Near the end of runway completion there was a knock on our door one evening. Two reps from the airport were collecting information. Took about 15 minutes. A month later we got a call that a contractor would install new insulated windows, doors and insulate the attic at no charge. I’m talking 2’ of attic insulation. I couldn’t hear a cannon in the front yard after they were done. Alert, I have the same issue. 80% loss right ear, 40% left ear (remember to keep your mouth open when you toss grenades or the concussion will knock you out. A lot of good that did.). Wife is bugging me to go down to the VA and get my hearing aids. I enjoy the quiet.
It is not just airports. People purchase or rent property adjacent to fire stations, hospitals, military installations, schools, day/summer camps, quarries, factories, warehouses and more; then complain, complain, complain…
@JS – and the complaints do yield solutions. Fire station example: firetrucks don’t blare their horns as they exit the station. Sirens only after it pulls out onto the major avenues.
Yeah, some loud whiners. I’m familiar with Luke Air Force base and people build homes around the area and then complain about the noise. Just very stupid and also short sighted since it provides a ton of jobs and many families depend on its existence.
I can sympathize with people who owned homes for a long time and someone comes along to build a highway or shopping center next to them. I always try to buy in established areas since if I see a lot of “greenery” I assume one day something will be built on it and it may not be what I would want to be there.
On the other hand, it’s not just one person complaining about SkyPesos. Many people are unhappy with SkyPesos.
Will I need a quarter of a million miles just for one economy class seat? And where you can get fewer than a quarter of the distance in miles now (SFO-JFK is about 5000 miles round trip but a round trip ticket might only earn 2000 miles now).
On the other hand, one of your readers probably believes that the airline is the best in the world because you need a lot of SkyPesos to get a free economy class seat.
The worse is Air Canada. I got 82 miles for a trip that costs several hundred dollars. That’s because United awards 25% of the distance and Air Canada charges a lot to smaller cities.
I grew up less than 5 miles as the crow flies from Dulles Airport back when the Concorde flew in and out of there. Normal airplane noise was pretty distant sounding but the Concorde taking off was LOUD. It definitely took a little getting used to – my pareut my parents were like “Eh, it’s only a few times a week and living in NYC was WAY noisier in general.”
You want to live in NW DC along the river, get over it, there’s plane noise.
@H2O … I’m with you … the peace and quiet are very pleasant . Mine was an M-60 . I am disabled and could not lift one today . Thumbs-up to you .
The increased use of DCA Runway 4 for smaller planes has made a noticable increase in jet noise while enjoyng my backyard on Capitol Hill. My biggest compliant is that I’m not on that plane 😉
Tomorrow I fly to EWR to get Polaris (B777) to SFO then to CHC n my Fav Dreamliner.
I’m hoping my CR550 takes off on 4 🙂
I legal terms it’s “coming to nuisance”. These folks have no legal standing..
If an airport expands, that can create more noise in an area. Residents who bought years ago expected a certain noise level that grew over time. If you bought in Newport Beach CA in the 80s, SNA was a tiny airport with a few AirCal flights. Fast forward to today where SNA is a major airport, and nearby longtime residents have a right to be upset about airport expansion.
The only thing that should be allowed near airports are cemeteries then you would not have any complaints…except for when there are burial services.
Those who bought their home prior to the Airport being put in place have a legitimate complaint, however, you probably are at the age where you use a hearing aid so I suggest you turn it off. Now in Naples, Florida, people who live close to the Airport want the Airport to move. If you knew the Airport was there then that is on you and you should live with it or move on. For a number of years I worked at Midway Airport in Chicago. On Saturdays the local residents would picket the airport because of the noise. As that is an Airport that has been in existence prior to WW2, those who moved there prior to the Airport Construction were most likely too hard of hearing to tell an airplane from a sneeze. People need to stop whining.
I don’t think it’s “stupid” but strategic. PDK airport in Atlanta has been there since 1940 and been a civilian use airport since the 1950’s. It’s located in an area that would have very expensive real estate if not for the airport. There are several people who have bought relatively cheap houses there and immediately started a movement to close PDK. They are doing so simply to see their home values skyrocket. I saw the same thing with KSUA in South Florida. They know what they’re doing.
H2oman. I understand, it was quad M-60 machine guns in my case. VA gave me hearing aids. Didn’t like what I was hearing so they sit mostly unused.
Regarding airport noise complaints. SNA has to be one of the worst for complaints about departing aircraft noise. The noise abatement procedure for the west departure is a holdover from the B-727 (PSA) and B-737-200 (AirCal) days. Todays commercial airliners are quieter than many single ICE and turboprops and nearly all helicopters.
I used to live in employee housing next to KASE. Most of the time I never noticed the activity across the street, except when a cheap-a** GA pilot would run the thrust reversers at full to save a few millimeters on the break pads.
The good people of Woody Creek CO apparently have much less tolerance for air traffic (that they’re not riding in).
https://www.aspentimes.com/opinion/lovins-pitkin-countys-airport-tv-ad-is-false-misleading/
I live in a mountain surrounded valley ten plus miles north of downtown Los Angeles. After living there years with no problems, the local PD decided to do helicopter training there around 11:30pm, waking me up. The noise echoed through the entire valley. It went on every day for quite a while so I eventually complained. After a few complaints they eventually stopped. If they had their training earlier, even after dark earlier, it would have been ok. I live in a house built in1942, well before any of the local police departments had helicopters. Occasional police chases including helicopters are ok but the news vulture helicopters are annoying. Once in a while we get a military demonstration team flyover at the start of the Rose Parade. You have to be out waiting for it since they are gone in seconds.