Congressmen Ask Airline to Nix Late-Night Flight at Burbank Airport

Four local congressmen have called upon United Airlines to cancel a new flight that will land at Burbank Airport after the voluntary 10 p.m. curfew.

The flight from San Francisco is set to begin Tuesday and will land at 11:15 p.m. six nights a week, officials said.

Burbank Airport has a voluntary curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

A few other flights are routinely scheduled to land after the curfew, but the United flight would be the latest scheduled arrival.

Last week, U.S. Reps. Howard L. Berman (D-Mission Hills), Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) wrote a joint letter asking United’s chairman and chief executive officer, James E. Goodwin, to cancel the late-night flight.

“The proposed new United flight is especially objectionable because it is scheduled to arrive almost a half-hour later than any other commercial flight,” they wrote.

After-curfew flights “severely disrupt the lives of many San Fernando Valley residents and reaffirm their legitimate concern that we will soon see a massive expansion of flights at this airport,” the letter said.

U.S. Rep. James E. Rogan (R-Glendale) joined them on Friday.

Rogan has called for a six-month moratorium on after-curfew flights by United into Burbank Airport, saying the scheduling decision could cause the airline public relations problems.

“I think it’s a mistake, first based on policy, and second, I think it’s bad for United to do it,” Rogan told Los Angeles-area reporters in a conference call Friday from Washington.

Earlier this month, the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority also asked United to reconsider scheduling the after-curfew flight.

On Saturday, an airline representative said United was trying to reschedule the flight so it lands earlier. “We are making every effort to change the schedule of that flight,” United spokesman Matt Triaca said.

He said the airline is examining its options and has not yet decided on the flight’s status after January, when the schedule is reviewed for changes.

“We do understand that the voluntary curfew is in place,” Triaca said. “We have to weigh that with customer demand.”