UPDATE: We got the following response to this post regarding airplane noise from the office of Larry Phillips. “Thanks for your post today on airplane noise in Magnolia. I wanted to offer you the following response for Councilmember Phillips’ office: “King County Councilmember and Magnolia resident Larry Phillips is a tireless advocate for having planes to use a flight path over Elliott Bay as an alternative to Magnolia to fly into King County International Airport (KCIA) to relieve early morning noise Magnolia. Working with fellow Magnolia neighbors, Larry has advocated for a specific proven technology called the LDA (localizer directional aid) available on all planes or equivalent technology that would enable the use of the bay. The authority for use of the air space is under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). King County International Airport cannot unilaterally change the flight paths. Larry has contacted federal elected officials, met with them, and lobbied the FAA directly. If you would like to see the Elliott Bay approach utilized, please contact your Senators and Congressman and voice your concerns.”
Jim lives on 31st Ave West and he believes that airplane noise over Magnolia is increasing. He wrote the following letter to King County: I believe the airplane noise is getting worse. As I have observed, all
flights, from Boeing Field and now Sea-Tac are routed over Discovery Park. I did an informal count to the number of planes in a week from January 11-18. I counted over 100 planes and I was working 11 hours per day during that week. One morning I was awakened by a 3:30am flight, a 4:00am flight and a 4:30am flight. Is anything being done to change this pattern? Will the change in weather and winds coming from the north change the landing patterns? I have noticed that all Boeing Field planes come over or near Discovery Park. Can’t they be routed over the water like other airports in the East coast of our nation?
We had one community meeting but I don’t know if anything is being done to remedy the situation. I know that when we first purchased our home in Magnolia last February, there was not this airplane noise at all. Seems like King County has re-routed all planes over our space. What are your plans for the future? I know we are entering our fourth month of airplane noise and if anything, it seems to be getting worse.
Is anyone else noticing an increase in flights over Magnolia recently? Let us know in comments below. To report noise concerns anytime, you can call the Boeing Field hotline at 206-205-5242 or email noise@kingcounty.gov. It is helpful to give the plane id if possible. You can also call the SeaTac noise number at 206-433-5393.


