Airline Industry Making Noise Over Federal Bill to Phase Out Loud Jets : Airports: Airlines say a Congressional mandate to buy quieter aircraft could be financially ruinous. Proponents say it might even mean lower ticket prices.

How loud is your airplane? How noisy is your airport? And how does that noise affect the price of your airline ticket? Or whether you reach your destination on time?

The issue of airplane and airport noise has become nothing short of a decibel dilemma. According to U.S. Department of Transportation studies, more than 3 million people live in heavily noise-polluted areas near U.S. airports.

The sounds from departing jets can be deafening, to nearby residents and airport visitors alike. An automobile horn blasting three feet away registers at a level of about 110 decibels. By comparison, many jet aircraft today are registering at that same level at least half a mile from takeoff. And some of the older jets, such as Boeing 727s and DC-8s, are registering at that level four miles from takeoff. Permanent ear damage can occur at levels above 120 decibels.

Now, cities and the federal government find themselves squared off against each other in a battle for control of the complicated problem of airplane cacophony.

Last October, after much debate, Congress passed the Airport Safety and Capacity Expansion Act, which mandated a national policy for noise control around airports. As part of the bill, the DOT was required to issue a timetable for the phasing out of older--and louder--jets (727s, DC-9s and early versions of the 737 and 747). These are known as Stage 2 aircraft. (Older jets such as the 707 and DC-8, which have been fitted with special “hush” kits to quiet their engines, are also classified as Stage 2 and will be phased out as well.)

The aircraft would be replaced with newer (Stage 3) models of the 737 and 747, as well as new aircraft such as the 757 and 767. The goal of the legislation is a complete phase-out of Stage 2 aircraft by the year 2003. Airlines have until 1994 to remove 25% of their noisy planes.

“By the year 2000, we expect that 90% of the U.S. commercial aircraft will be at Stage 3 standards,” says Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Fred Farrar.

“We think this is the most important aircraft legislation since deregulation,” says Ed O’Hara, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Not surprisingly, airlines are unhappy about receiving the Congressional mandate, which will, in many cases, accelerate the disposal of older planes (and the purchase of new ones) or require the expensive refitting of older planes with special “hush” kits to reduce noise levels from engines.

Over the next 10 years, U.S. airlines claim that they are already committed to spending $120 billion to purchase more than 2,000 new, quieter aircraft.

The financial impact of switching to Stage 3 aircraft could be staggering to some airlines, they say. Southwest claims that its revenues could be cut by as much as $2.2 billion under provisions of the new noise rules. Northwest says it will now have to spend $595 million to install hush kits on its fleet of 139 older DC-9s.

But proponents of a national noise policy argue that ticket prices could go down along with the decibel count. They say that forcing airlines to modernize their fleets will obviously lead to newer-generation aircraft. The new planes, in addition to being quieter, will be more fuel- and crew-efficient. And cockpits will be operated by two pilots, the standard crew on new planes, instead of three. Because many of the new planes can hold more passengers and operate on shorter runways, costly delays will be reduced and the air traffic system will run more smoothly. As a result, airlines could then keep ticket prices down.

Opponents of a national noise policy insist--and with some validity--that local communities should set their own noise policy, because the situation at Stapleton Airport in Denver is different than at O’Hare in Chicago; that the noise problem is worse at John F. Kennedy in New York than it may be in Madison, Wis.

In addition, opponents argue that the current rules allow the airlines too much time to continue operating the older, noisier jets.

“The community is demanding that we not get noisier,” says Ralph Tonseth, director of aviation for the city of San Jose. “And they are also demanding that we provide service. We’ve identified a large demand for travel from San Jose and a pattern of travel that demands more volume. The only way we can do it is to go to Stage 3 aircraft, and we need to do it soon.”

Under local control, a city such as San Jose could phase out Stage 2 aircraft well before the 2003 deadline. However, under federal control, if airlines have phased out 85% of their older jets by the year 2000, they will be given an extension until 2003 to complete the transition to Stage 3.

In San Francisco, airport authorities have already banned at least one type of noisy aircraft--the aging 707.

And in Los Angeles, officials at LAX have moved to ban all Stage 2 aircraft from the airport by the year 2000, with no exceptions. In addition, LAX administrators have banned nighttime operations of noisy jets by 1996.

This puts LAX at odds with the FAA, which is not happy that its authority to set standards--in this case noise levels--is being threatened. The FAA also argues that what airports like San Francisco and LAX are doing is, in effect, “noise dumping”--sending the older, noisier planes to other airports. For example, if local authority prevails, it is entirely conceivable that a plane could take off from Chicago but not be able to land in Los Angeles due to different noise-level restrictions at LAX.

When San Francisco initiated its ban on noisy jets in 1988, the FAA cut off some federal funds to the airport. The agency is now withholding about $8 million in federal grants to the San Francisco airport. And a similar threat was made when LAX made its decision in May. (Airports apply for federal grants, administered by the FAA, to make schools and houses soundproof near runways. Since 1970, LAX has received $60 million in financial aid to alleviate noise.)

Not every airport is rushing to enact tougher noise restrictions. The city of Miami, for example, is seeking local authority to allow more Stage 2 planes to continue operation. Miami airport officials claim that because of its location, the city doesn’t really have a large noise problem. Miami’s dilemma is that as Stage 2 aircraft are phased out of the United States by the FAA, where do they go? To Third World countries, including many in Central and South America. And where do many of those aircraft fly? Miami, which would stand to lose a lot of business as a gateway city for many Central and South American airlines.