Airports offer ways to muffle the noise

Los Angeles, Ontario and Burbank airports have responded to area residents’ complaints with home soundproofing programs to help insulate against noise.

According to LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles, it costs on average $25,000 to soundproof a single-family home, including air conditioning. The expense is covered by a $3-per-ticket “passenger facility charge” that is tacked on to every departing traveler’s ticket at LAX.

LAX’s soundproofing program began in 1997. So far, 3,131 homes around LAX have been soundproofed, with about 3,300 more to be done in the next two years. Burbank has insulated 671 homes near the airport; 336 more are being done.

And the city of Ontario is spending $11.7 million to acquire homes most affected by the airplane noise, offering consultants to help those displaced find new homes. Additionally, that city is in the process of sound-insulating 600 homes.

But, according to LAX’s Castles, even soundproofing doesn’t completely satisfy airport neighbors.

“Now folks can sleep at night,” she said, “but they tell me, ‘I can’t have a barbecue in my backyard.’ ”

For information about noise management issues, LAX Internet flight tracking, and noise complaint forms for LAX, Ontario and Van Nuys airports, go to lawa.org and click on “noise management.” For Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, go to www.ocair.com and click on Internet flight tracks.

For LAX aircraft noise complaints, call (310) 64-NOISE. For John Wayne Airport, call (949) 252-5185.

For more information about home insulation programs:

For the LAX area, call (310) 646-7444.

For Burbank, (818) 842-1708.

For Van Nuys, (818) 909-3573.

For Ontario, (909) 395-2006.

-- Allison B. Cohen