noise

The dispersal fallacy: mistaking more flight paths for a fair distribution of the noise

Comparing flight paths means considering both how many people would hear the aircraft and how much they would be disturbed. The same jet can have a very different impact in a quiet valley than near a freeway.

noise

The same aircraft, a different impact

Whether the same jet is a heavier burden over a quiet valley than over a busy road is a testable question, not just a complaint. California law treats acoustic context as capable of mattering, and Sonoma County measured several of the things that difference turns on at this airport in 2011.