New Noisy Plane Routes Could Be Permanent

Did you hear extra planes flying overhead on their way to LaGuardia Airport last year? There's a reason for that.

In February 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration instituted a new set of flight patterns over Queens which increased overhead traffic noise in some borough neighborhoods. 

At the time, the routes were said to be part of a six-month trial to ease the crowded airspace over New York City.

Late last year, the FAA said it would make the routes permanent, which wasn't exactly music to Queens residents' ears. 

Now, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Flushing, and U.S. Rep. Steve Israel of Long Island are urging the FAA to reconsider the change.

“While we acknowledge that there is no perfect solution to airspace congestion, we believe that our constituents have been unfairly and unexpectedly burdened,” Meng and Israel wrote to FAA Administrator Michel Huerta. “The new routes were implemented without the consultation of local elected officials and constituents, an oversight that Carmine Gallo, the FAA Regional Administrator, acknowledged at a FAA briefing for local officials on January 18, 2013. We hope that the FAA is able to produce a more balanced plan that would alleviate the noise pollution for our constituents and restore the quality of life in our neighborhoods.” 

Have you heard more airplane noise lately? Let us know in the comments.