What does this mean for you?

Failure to use the RUS contributes to noise in our community. The most noticeable impact you may have seen recently relates to departing aircraft.  The combination of the tower’s preference for a north flow and a handful of other factors has led to large portion of all departures using a single runway (30L) which directs departing flights over parts of Ward 13 and Edina. The other factor is runway selection determined by destination. When the airport is using a north flow, departing planes will either use runway 30L or 30R.  Which runway is used depends on the destination.  30R is used for flights to the north and east such as Detroit, Chicago and New York.  30L is used for destinations that are south and west such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dallas.

The city has requested data about destination trends (annual and seasonal) but it appears from how 30L has been used that there are more departures going south and west, in general.  This leads to a single runway (the one with the greatest impact on our ward) being used for a very large portion of all departures.  The disturbance from this is exacerbated in the summer when the planes are at lower altitudes and the airport experiences its highest volumes of air traffic. 

If a north flow continues to be used every time that it’s physically possible (it is sometimes impossible due to wind and weather), and if airplanes continue to be assigned runways based on destination (and those trends don’t change), then I see no way for our current conditions to change.  However, these conditions are creating impacts that are unstainable for many Ward 13 residents. I am asking the MAC and FAA to work with the city to find a solution to this problem. 

The RUS says that operations over Minneapolis should be the last choice for both arrivals and departures, but there are admittedly some limitations to carrying that out.  We need to examine how the RUS can be used effectively to achieve its purpose. Excessive use of any single runway (whether arrivals or departures) is a problem for any community. 

Informing the MAC of our concerns

On November 3rd, Loren Olson from the City’s Intergovernmental Relations department and I attended the MAC’s Planning, Development and Environment Committee to speak to these concerns.  Video from the meeting is available.  Go to this page and under “Archive,” the November 3 meeting is listed.  Click “video" (my comments begin at minute 39).

Our intention at the meeting was to explain our concerns. I felt that the committee was very receptive and I’m hopeful that they can help us resolve this problem.  We informed the committee that we would continue to work through the Noise Oversight Committee (NOC) to see if that body could help us address this issue.  The FAA was scheduled to attend the November 19 NOC meeting to discuss this matter.

Raising our concerns to the FAA

At the NOC meeting on November 19th, the FAA gave a presentation which was mostly oral but there were 3 slides (see Item 3) (an audio recording of the meeting is available upon request to MAC staff).  Included in the presentation was information about how destination influences runway selection.  As discussed earlier, destination determines which runway is selected (after the north or south flow is determined). This is based on efficiency and it eliminates any need to cross over the other runway which runs parallel to it.  In the past, this type of crossover did occur, but after the near-miss in 2010, additional efforts were made to “de-conflict” the airspace. 

The FAA also addressed why it prefers to use a north flow (often referred to as northwest flow) whenever possible; when the airport is operating in a north flow, there are 3 runways available to accept arriving airplanes.  When the airport is operating in a south flow there are two runways for arriving airplanes.  In the first scenario they have the capacity to land about 90 planes per hour, and in the second scenario they have the capacity to land about 60.  They prefer the configuration that allows them to land more planes more quickly. Arrivals are a higher priority operation than departures since a delay in accepting an airplane en route is more complex to manage than a delay in a departure. However, the tower also sets an arrival acceptance rate which informs others in the system of MSP’s capacity for arrivals and presumably, this should allow for management of arrivals before they are in route.

While the reasons that the tower prefers a north flow make logical sense, it doesn’t change the fact that there is a negative impact on Minneapolis residents when a north flow is used too much. I want to work cooperatively with the NOC, FAA and the MAC to find solutions to make this work. However, at the NOC meeting, no potential solutions were offered. 

Without further information, it appears that accommodating capacity is the priority over some key principals; that when given a choice, noise should go over land use that is more compatible and where less people are impacted; and that there should be some sense of balance with runway use, and not a single runway used excessively.

Arrival noise and nighttime operations

I want to be transparent about the fact that when the airport is in a north flow, the arriving airplanes are arriving on the ends of the runways that are closer to Eagan and Mendota Heights.  I know that the idea of having arrivals on the other end of the runway would be very welcome for many residents; I have not lost sight of the fact that arrival noise is a top concern for many Ward 13 residents but somehow, if we have been getting relief from arrival noise in recent months, it has not been very apparent.  Many constituents tell me that they experience noise from both arrivals and departures.

Often, the airport is able to operate in a south flow at night, and while the loudest operations (departures) go over Eagan and Mendota Heights, we get the arrival noise.  While the arrivals are quieter, they make up the vast majority of nighttime operations (75% last year) so it’s hard to feel like we come out the winner in that situation. Basically, the RUS simply isn’t working to accomplish its purpose. We need to look at the issue as a whole.

Noise from arriving planes, and particularly late night or early morning operations, continues to be a significant concern for Ward 13 residents. I want to see improvement in reducing the number of such operations. I will be working with my colleagues and our partners towards this objective. I am also interested in finding effective ways to reduce noise form cargo planes.

In summary, and how can you help

I believe that if we can get a better balance of north and south flow, a better balance of runway use, and better management of noise in the early morning and late at night that we can achieve much better conditions for Minneapolis residents. I believe the MAC can help us with this.

If you would like to help, please write a polite letter to your MAC Commissioner and let him or her know how airport noise affects you. Ask for his or her support for these efforts. While these comments will be useful anytime, sharing your thoughts before the next full MAC meeting on December 15 would be most impactful.

Residents of Ward 13 are in MAC District C and are represented by Commissioner Lisa Peilen. You are also represented by the City of Minneapolis MAC member Erica Prosser. You can find your Commissioners and contact them by e-mail through the MAC website. Go to the site and click on the box to the top right of the screen that says “Identify and Contact your MAC representative.”

If you would like to contact or include the Chair of the MAC, Dan Boivin, you can reach him at:  Dan.Boivin@mspmac.org. I want to reiterate that these individuals have shown interest in our concerns and should be seen as potential partners in resolving this issue.  

Thank you for your partnership in tackling these challenges.

Yours in service,

P.S. There may be airport updates that are not shared with my general newsletter list. If this topic is of special interest, please join my Airport Issues list by informing my Senior Policy Aide, Emily Ziring, that you want to be added. She can be reached at Emily.Ziring@minneapolismn.gov.

MAC Meetings Now Available Live-Streaming or on Video

You can now watch Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) meetings from home.  MAC board meetings take place at the airport.  While the public can attend those meetings, it is not always convenient to do so.  CLICK HERE for more detail on attending meetings in person.  While the City will continue to encourage MAC to have more meetings out in the community, we sincerely appreciate this action to make their meetings more accessible, and their decision-making more transparent. Below is a MAC press release with more detail.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL – The Metropolitan Airports Commission’s (MAC’s) monthly board and committee meetings have always been open to the public but now are also viewable from your home or office via live streaming and video on demand.

The MAC board establishes budgets, sets policies and approves ordinances for the operation, maintenance and development of the commission’s seven airports: Minneapolis-St. Paul International, Airlake, Anoka County-Blaine, Crystal, Flying Cloud, Lake Elmo and St. Paul Downtown. The MAC’s system of airports is among the largest in the nation and is vital to the regional air transportation system and to the area economy. A recent study by InterVISTAS Consulting, LLC estimates that Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport alone generates more than $10 billion annually for the Twin Cities metropolitan economy and supports more than 76,000 jobs.

“The Commission’s airports are important public facilities connecting Minnesota to cities, people and markets around the globe,” said MAC Chairman Dan Boivin. “Live video streaming and on-demand video recordings of our board and committee meetings increase the transparency of the MAC’s decision-making process and provide the public with easy access to information and deliberations about the future of the MAC’s seven airports.”

Video recordings are segmented so viewers can either watch an entire meeting or select only agenda items of interest to them. Supporting materials and minutes are uploaded to the same area of the Web site so viewers can review the corresponding written materials while watching the video. Videos and related meeting materials are all available on the MAC’s Web site, www.metroairports.org.

Most MAC decisions are debated first at the committee level before being forwarded to the full board for consideration. There are three board committees: Finance and Administration; Planning, Development and Environment; and Management and Operations. All committees meet on the first Monday of the month, and the board meets on the third Monday of the month, except during holidays. Meeting times are listed in the Public Meetings section of www.metroairports.org.