For Immediate Release
June 15, 2023
Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260
Recipients of the LAX Fly Quieter Award and Van Nuys Airport Friendly Flyer Award were recognized at the Board of Airport Commissioner's regular meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
(Los Angeles, CA) Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) recognized nine airlines as winners of the annual Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Fly Quieter Award and 20 operators as winners of the Van Nuys Airport (VNY) Friendly Flyer Award. These awards recognize our partner's efforts to reduce aircraft noise through voluntary operational practices and implementation of noise-reducing technology, as well as community engagement.
"The LAX Fly Quieter Program and the VNY Fly Friendly Program are part of LAWA's commitment to being a good neighbor while finding solutions that address the impact of noise on our nearby communities," said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. "We thank our airline partners and aircraft operators for making extra efforts to engage with the community and minimize noise impacts, and I look forward to continuing to work together to continue the progress made in this important area."
The LAX Fly Quieter Program evaluated all airline operations at LAX across five scoring elements:
- Aircraft noise levels as measured by monitors in residential communities
- Noise level ratings of an airline's fleet of aircraft at LAX as certified by the Federal Aviation Administration
- The lowest number of early turns over communities during take-off
- The lowest number of non-conforming easterly departures during nighttime hours between midnight and 6:30 a.m.
- Compliance with the LAX nighttime maintenance engine run-up restriction in effect between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The LAX Fly Quieter Program offers airlines additional bonus points for voluntarily using noise-mitigating technology on aircraft and engaging with neighboring communities and stakeholders, such as participating in the LAX/Community Noise Roundtable.
Airlines were recognized within three categories based on the number of average daily operations (landings and take-offs) conducted at LAX.
The 2022 winners for each category are as follows:
Category 1 (100 or more average daily operations)
- Gold – American Airlines
- Silver – United Airlines
- Bronze – Delta Air Lines
Category 2 (5-99 average daily operations)
- Gold – Volaris
- Silver – Avianca
- Bronze – Spirit Airlines
Category 3 (Four or fewer average daily operations)
- Gold – Nippon Cargo
- Silver – Copa Airlines
- Bronze – Fiji Airways
The Fly Quieter Program began in January 2020 as an education and recognition program designed to encourage proactive efforts by airlines to fly as quietly as possible at LAX. While airports cannot impose mandatory aircraft noise limits, the Fly Quieter Program recognizes airlines for following LAX noise abatement procedures, using quieter aircraft and taking voluntary noise-reduction measures where feasible. Since the program began, four airlines have participated in LAX/Community Noise Roundtable meetings, providing valuable input and enhancing discussions addressing aircraft noise issues. Three airlines were also recognized this year for completing their voluntary programs to retrofit specific aircraft in their fleet with noise-reducing technologies.
The VNY Fly Friendly Program was established in 2012 to identify and formally recognize jet operators that have achieved the highest level of compliance with the mandatory noise regulations and the voluntary noise abatement programs at VNY. Participation in the VNY Quieter Nights Program, a voluntary program which encourages jet operators to avoid flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., has been added as an element to the award criteria.
The VNY Fly Friendly Program evaluates jet operators that meet or exceed the following criteria:
- At least 60 southbound jet departures
- No violations of the Noise Abatement and Curfew Regulation, Non-Additional Rule and Nosier Jet Phase-Out
- Compliance at 99% or greater with the No Early Turn and the Quiet Jet Departure Programs
- Observance of the Quieter Nights Program
The winners of the 2022 VNY Friendly Flyer Award are as follows:
First Time Winners
- ACI Jet
- Aero Air, LLC
- FlyAlliance
- FlyExclusive
- MGM Resorts International
- Mira Vista Aviation
- PAM JETS
- Verijet, Inc.
Repeat Winners
- Chrysler Aviation, Inc.
- Clay Lacy Aviation
- Gama Aviation
- Jet Edge International
- Latitude 33 Aviation, LLC
- Mountain Aviation
- Pegasus Elite Aviation
- Prime Jet, LLC
- Sun Air Jets, LLC
- Tutor-Saliba Corporation
- Wonderful Citrus Aviation
- XCEL Jet Management, Inc.
More information is available online about the LAX Fly Quieter Program and VNY Fly Friendly Program
LAX, the fifth-busiest airport in the world in 2021 with 48 million passengers, is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal.
In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.
LAX generates 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX's ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund.
LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airports Council International-Europe.
LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.
LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the "Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience" in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of "The World's Best Airports for Business Travelers" (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).
For more information about LAX, please visit www.flyLAX.com or follow us on Twitter @flyLAXAirport, on Instagram at @flylaxairport, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/los-angeles-world-airports, and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
