In a March 2021 public comment to the Highline Forum, Federal Way resident Bernedine Lund urged Sea-Tac Airport officials to request that the FAA disperse departure flight paths to reduce concentrated aircraft noise over residential areas. Drawing on examples from the 2021 Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium, she highlighted how Charlotte Douglas International Airport successfully spread departure tracks from a 1.6-mile-wide corridor to 2.5 miles, and noted that similar tightly clustered flight paths exist over Federal Way. She pointed to FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Section 175, which allows airport operators—in consultation with affected communities—to formally request dispersal of departure procedures between the surface and 6,000 feet, provided the change does not increase noise over sensitive areas.Open full document
Notes
Bernedine Lund, a Federal Way resident and member of QSPS and 350 Seattle Aviation Group, presents a public comment to the Highline Forum regarding flight path dispersion as a noise reduction strategy. She references the Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium 2021 and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport as a before-and-after example of departure flight path dispersion. She asks whether the Port of Seattle has considered requesting the FAA to disperse SeaTac departure flight paths under FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Section 175.