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A community advisory panel is pressing the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to hire an outside consultant to strengthen aircraft-noise monitoring at Reagan National Airport, but the authority has shown little enthusiasm for the proposal.
The Reagan National Community Working Group voted Jan. 22 to request authority-funded assistance in creating a more rigorous “Fly Quiet” program.
“You can’t improve if you don’t measure,” said panel member Ken Buckley.
Established in 2015, the working group advises the airports authority, airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration on airport operations. Its recommendations are not binding.
The authority unveiled its voluntary Fly Quiet initiative last October to encourage airlines to reduce noise. Similar programs operate at major urban airports across the country, although their features vary.
Working-group members said the local plan lacks the detailed measurements and airline-performance data found in other programs. Their concerns continued after they endorsed revised flight paths intended to reduce air traffic over southeastern Fairfax County.
Janelle Wright, Montgomery County’s representative and leader of the panel’s Fly Quiet subcommittee, called the proposal inadequate.
“It does not provide any granular data and analysis on air-carrier performance,” Wright said. She added that the authority’s document “focuses on the past,” while the panel wants “a more efficient and sustainable future.”
Panel member William Parker also called for dynamic reporting and continued collection of noise data.
Authority officials said in October that they were comfortable with their approach and did not intend to pay for additional noise-mitigation consultants. David Mould, an authority vice president and the panel’s chief liaison, gave members a less direct but similar response in January.
“We appreciate the perspective and opinions” of the working group, Mould said. He said officials would review the request and respond at the panel’s next meeting in April.
Airlines Defend Their Response
Some panel comments drew a response from Tracy Montross, American Airlines’ regional director for government affairs and its representative on the working group.
American is Reagan National’s dominant carrier. Montross said it was “a little unfair” to suggest that American and other airlines represented on the panel had failed to respond to community noise concerns.
“We’ve invested millions to try to address these concerns,” she said.
Quieter Planes, but More Flights
Mike Jeck, manager of the authority’s Noise Office, told the panel that aircraft using Reagan National have become quieter by federal standards.
The FAA classifies aircraft by stages, with higher stages indicating lower noise. Stage 3 aircraft accounted for 21% of operations at Reagan National in 2015 but now represent 2%. Stage 4 and Stage 5 aircraft increased from 79% to 98% over the same period, Jeck said.
The only Stage 3 planes still regularly serving the airport are Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200s and United Airlines Boeing 757-300s. Jeck said the authority could ask both carriers to limit those aircraft at Reagan National, particularly late at night.
Airbus A220s, operated there by several airlines, are currently the airport’s only aircraft meeting Stage 5 criteria.
“This is what we want to see,” Jeck said.
Some working-group members argued that increased flight activity during the past decade has offset the benefits of quieter aircraft.
“We’re seeing the noise level go in the other direction — it is getting worse, not better,” said Kathleen deLaski, who represents Fairfax County’s Dranesville District.
Jeck handles noise issues for both Reagan National and Dulles International Airport by himself. Although panel members praised his work, they said a single employee cannot operate the comprehensive monitoring and reporting system they want.