Dallas City Council members expressed interest in forcing — or at least encouraging — airlines to comply with the Voluntary Noise Program at Dallas Love Field but again were told that federal legislation trumps local control on the matter.
In short, there’s not much the local government can do about Southwest Airlines scheduling eight arrivals after 11 p.m. in a single day, directly conflicting with the voluntary program that suggests no flights occur between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The City Council’s hands are also tied when it comes to balancing the disproportionate number of flights between the Lemmon and Denton runways.
Shorecrest, Briarwood, Bluffview, Elm Thicket, and parts of Highland Park are severely impacted by the noise at the “preferred” Lemmon Runway, where nearly 65 percent of flights depart, said resident Kerri Lacher.
“Nobody is really getting a full night’s sleep,” she said. “With the growth anticipated and potential drone flights beginning in the next five years, it will continue to become the Wild Wild West overhead if something is not done to mitigate the situation.”
Airport staff has worked with a Citizens Action Committee for over a year and is seeking council feedback on 14 noise mitigation measures before making another effort to resolve the matter with the airlines, Aviation Director Patrick Carreno said during Wednesday’s council briefing.
District 2 Councilman Jesse Moreno, who represents several of the neighborhoods surrounding Love Field, said residents on the west side of the city-owned airport have been reluctant to join the conversation.
“We hear them, we see them, and we want to make sure that even though they’re not at the table complaining about the noise, it’s still something they’re having to deal with every single day,” he said. “I fully support looking into a sound barrier wall on that side. I think that’s going to help minimize a lot of the noise.”
Proposals for Noise Mitigation
The 14 recommendations prepared by Love Field neighbors were outlined in an Oct. 11 Environmental Commission presentation and expanded on in a Citizens Action Committee background document.
CAC co-chair Steve Klein addressed several “false narratives” in an Oct. 21 email to stakeholders, including the dialogue that an updated Voluntary Noise Program would completely dismantle the existing program, that 100 percent of all “new noise” is due to Southwest Airlines, and that more than 200 departures a day occur at the Lemmon Avenue Runway while the Denton Runway sees less than half that number.
“Sadly, there’s a strong sentiment that the City of Dallas and the Department of Aviation have favored commerce over neighborhoods surrounding Love Field and along the Lemmon and Denton flight paths,” Klein said. “Add the fact that the FAA’s NextGen has created overflights in neighborhoods that rarely saw a plane and that a city audit faulted the existing program for lack of enforcement and we have a perfect storm of anger, mistrust, and cynicism.”
The 14 Citizens Action Committee recommendations include things like quieter takeoff and landing measures, the voluntary noise curfew precluding scheduling passenger airline flights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., improving communication between the Department of Aviation and operators, improving communication between the Department of Aviation and stakeholders, and some technical programs involving sound insulation and noise barriers.
The Department of Aviation supports 13 of the 14 stakeholder recommendations. The one they opposed requires Federal Aviation Administration approval and could be better addressed through a combination of some of the other recommendations, Carreno said at the Oct. 11 Environmental Commission meeting.
Carreno further explained Wednesday that the stakeholders’ recommendation to provide a Residential Sound Insulation Program would cost about $369 million, or $64,000 per home, and would take about 29 years to complete.
Next Steps For Voluntary Noise Program
Some discussion has occurred in the past about putting stronger language about noise into carrier lease agreements when they come up for renewal in 2028.
The council’s Wednesday agenda posting didn’t cover lease agreements, so the panel stopped short of diving into that matter. The council also doesn’t vote on briefings but provides feedback.
Distinct 14 Councilman Paul Ridley asked what could be done to stop the flights after 11 p.m., as that seems to be the most prevalent concern of his constituents.
Carreno responded that the “voluntary program is voluntary.”
“[Aircraft carriers] have a lot of operations outside of Love that impact the Love operation,” he said. “We feel like they’ve been committed on the departure side of it. Being a constrained airport, they’re working in a small box. We want to be supportive, but we want to encourage them to follow that program.”
Carreno said the airport has to do a better job of communicating and educating the airlines that the Voluntary Noise Program is in place.
“I think that’s lacking right now,” he said.
According to Wednesday’s presentation, the total economic contribution created by Dallas Love Field includes:
- $5.6 billion in economic activity
- Labor income of $1.7 billion paid through more than 28,000 local jobs
- Total revenues to the City of Dallas from taxes, fees for licenses and permits, and other revenues exceeding $47 million
