Lawmaker: New Agreement With FAA Requires Air Travel Over Long Island At Higher Altitudes To Cut Down On Noise
OLD BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- There is a possible solution to airplane flight problems over the skies of Long Island.
Many residents have been complaining about an increase in excessive noise from the aircraft flying above their homes. As CBS2's Reena Roy found out on Monday, there are things being done to fix the issue.
It came with no warning, but didn't need an introduction. Once the residents heard the noise, they said they knew it meant trouble.
"It comes over every two minutes or less and it makes a lot of noise that the whole house shakes sometimes," said Bob Cassandro of Old Brookville.
"It's really a torturous way to live, to be quite honest with you," Malverne resident Elaine Miller said.
Since the beginning of April, thousands of residents in both Nassau County and the western part of Suffolk County say they've been enduring a significant increase in plane traffic and noise above their homes, with many of the complaints coming from people who live more than 20 miles from John F. Kennedy Airport.
"It has become unbearable, intolerable. It has changed our lives in a drastic was," said Steve North of Roslyn Heights.
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Officials said it's due to the redirection of flight arrivals while one of JFK's four runways goes through a planned overhaul, and new technology that narrowed flight plans.
"It was like this before. Now it's a more narrow path. It's more efficient, it's faster. It's all these great things, but the people that are caught in this narrow path are getting a lot more traffic," Congressman Tom Suozzi said.
On Monday, Suozzi addressed a new agreement made with the Federal Aviation Administration to increase the altitude of planes.
He said starting June 24, planes west of Deer Park must fly at least 4,000 feet above homes, instead of 2,000. Also, flights over communities more than 15 miles from JFK must be conducted at 3,000 feet.
The agreement will cover all 24 hours of the day and will be permanent.
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"A lot of people who don't know this issue say, 'Oh, people should know if they move near an airport that they are going to have this problem.' We're 20 miles away from the airport," Suozzi said.
Many CBS2 spoke with said the agreement won't help with the number of planes flying above their homes, but added it's a start.
Jana Goldenberg took videos of planes flying right above her Jericho home. The changes are expected to help her, but she said she's still concerned for others.
"It's not going to help every community. So the thing is, you can't just help a couple communities," Goldenberg said.
