Some residents not happy late-night flights at Palm Springs International Airport
A new red-eye flight out of Palm Springs International Airport is getting some mixed reviews from people living nearby.
The departing American Airlines flights to the Dallas/Fort Worth take off shortly before 1:00 a.m., technically tomorrow morning, four days a week.
“I’m totally against that. It’s like come on, this is a really neighborhood here, with real people,” said Robert Nickels, who lives near the airport.
The flights started about ten days ago and some residents are not happy about them.
“We need some control and rules and regulations to protect us, it’s not only the noise, it the pollution, it’s incredible,” Nickels said. “We need some control and rules and regulations to protect us, it’s not only the noise, it the pollution, it’s incredible.”
“Sometimes it disturbs the sleep you know, especially if the planes are so loud,” Nickels continued.
“I want those people to know that we didn’t schedule it at that time, it was about additional capacity to the airport and if we have that opportunity to tell them to do otherwise, we will,” said Tom Nolan, the executive director at Palm Springs International Airport. “When an airline makes the decision to serve a community, imagine 500 other cities vying for those fixed assets, which are the aircraft.”
Nolan added, “The reality is, the rest of the U.S, this is their busy season, so in order to get that aircraft, I think we’re pretty fortunate to get that connectivity.”
Some travelers agree.
“I think it’s a great thing, and there should be more flights because during the offseason. It’s really difficult to get anywhere,” said Christine Cross of Palm Springs. “You can sleep on the plane. It’s a little tough, but you get there and you’re bright-eyed and it’s fun.”
The flights are expected to last until August 20, but Nolan says there’s potential to stick around.
“If that bodes well, and we urge everyone to fly it, then the airline will say, ‘Hey we got a good business case, let’s continue with the flights,'” Nolan said.
“We’re close to LA, we’re close to SD. We have plenty of people to tap into, we don’t need to do that and denigrate the neighborhood,” Nickels said.
More than 2 million people traveled using the Palm Springs airport last year and Nolan is expecting the same this year. Those red-eye flights are available Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
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