TagNoise Complaints(19)

This document outlines the Fly Quiet Program at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., describing the airport's efforts to reduce aircraft noise impacts on surrounding communities. Key measures include FAA-approved flight procedures, a nighttime noise rule with financial penalties for violations between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., limits on engine run-ups, and requests to airlines to use quieter aircraft. The program also operates a public noise complaint system, flight-tracking tools, and a noise monitoring network to keep residents informed and engaged.

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Noise Programs Office received 15,187 noise-related comments from 169 distinct households in June 2025, bringing the year-to-date total to 75,721 comments. The highest comment volumes came from Des Moines, Vashon, and Seattle, with the vast majority of complaints categorized as noise annoyance and submitted via a third-party web application. The report breaks down comments by city, zip code, complaint type, and filing method, offering a detailed snapshot of community noise concerns around Sea-Tac Airport.

This document contains a structured set of interview questions developed for a GAO study (project 103933) examining how NextGen flight path changes have affected local communities through increased aviation noise. The questions are directed at community groups and cover topics including FAA outreach efforts before and after implementation, equity concerns, the drivers of noise complaints, and whether any flight path modifications were sought or made following implementation. It aims to assess how effectively the FAA communicated with and involved communities in performance-based navigation (PBN) decisions.

The FAA's Noise Policy Review examines the growing problem of aircraft noise around airports, comparing historical and current annoyance levels among nearby residents. A Neighborhood Environmental Survey found a substantial increase in the percentage of people highly annoyed by aircraft noise, with annoyance rising consistently across all levels of noise exposure — well above what older models like the Schultz Curve had predicted.

A 2021 Aviation Noise and Emissions Symposium presentation by Charlotte Douglas International Airport Noise Abatement Specialist Dan Gardon explores the shifting landscape of aircraft noise complaints, noting that community annoyance is increasingly driven by the frequency of overhead flights rather than individual loud noise events. The presentation examines the opportunities and challenges airports face in dispersing flight paths to manage overflight noise. While focused on Charlotte Douglas, the insights are broadly relevant to airport noise management policy across the industry.

A color-coded map showing complaint data by ZIP code in the SeaTac area for August 2019. The map displays different complaint volume ranges from 1-51 complaints (green) to over 13,000 complaints (red), with ZIP code 98070 showing the highest complaint levels in red.

The City of Phoenix Aviation Department's 2018 Annual Noise Report covers noise exposure trends across Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX), Phoenix Deer Valley (DVT), and Phoenix Goodyear (GYR) airports for calendar year 2018. The report recorded 434,252 total operations at PHX, 53,280 noise complaints, and a 99.65% compliance rate with noise abatement procedures. Key highlights include FAA community workshops, implementation of updated flight departure routes, renewal of the Noise and Operations Management System contract, and passage of the FAA Reauthorization bill containing nearly 20 noise-related provisions.