Quiet airports

by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition

Photo credit: Tanathip Rattanatum

Airport Industry News magazine has an article about quiet airports. The phrase “quiet airports” refers to noise inside the terminals, not to the aircraft noise affecting communities near airports and under flight paths.

The article notes that quieter airport interiors, with sound levels monitored and unique zones designed to have different noise levels, both increase passenger satisfaction and operational efficiency. San Francisco International Airport and Heathrow Airport in London are quiet airports that I have passed through. The terminals are much nicer to be in, without the auditory assault of competing announcements made simultaneously.

Too often, announcements reverberate unintelligibly from the floors, walls and ceilings that are either too low or cavernously high. The cocktail party effect — where each announcement needs to be made louder than the next, leading to a cascade of increasing ambient noise —seems to be in effect, even if not formally.

The only caveat I would offer is that the article actually appears to be a puff piece for a communications equipment vendor, but the information conveyed appears to be accurate.

Quieter airports, as part of a quieter world, will help make the world better and healthier for those who travel by air.