A Review of US Aircraft Noise Regulatory Policy

Fall 2015 | Acoustics Today | 27 Introduction Vigorous community opposition to aircraft noise exposure is more the rule than the exception at airports worldwide, particularly when efforts are made to increase airport capacity or change operational patterns. Since the introduction of commercial jet service in the late 1950s, these disputes have often been highly contentious, to the point of intense political debate and costly litigation. Beranek (2008) provides a notable account of one of the earliest US airport noise controversies. The ongoing, national-level debate in the United Kingdom over the addition of a runway to a London-area airport is a current example. Noise-related airport-community controversies are ongoing at airports in many US cities, including Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis, all of the major New York airports (not to mention East Hampton), Phoenix, and Santa Monica.