The FAA proposed changes to flight-path routes around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to accommodate heavier traffic and southerly winds, rerouting arriving planes over Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River corridor. The changes renewed long-standing conflicts between affected neighborhoods — including Beacon Hill, Vashon Island, and Bainbridge Island — and airport and airline authorities over jet noise levels reaching up to 90 decibels. A Port of Seattle-convened mediation panel, involving community representatives, the FAA, airlines, and local government, was struggling to reach consensus on noise-abatement strategies, with residents warning that without full governmental commitment the process would prove a 'fruitless exercise in frustration.'Open full document
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A Seattle Times article by Mike Merritt examining the FAA’s proposed changes to landing routes north of Sea-Tac Airport, which would direct arriving airplanes over different neighborhoods depending on wind conditions. The article covers community conflicts over noise distribution, decibel levels at various locations, and a mediation effort involving the Port of Seattle, the FAA, airlines, and affected communities. Residents and officials express frustration over the lack of noise abatement progress over more than two decades.