LAX and aircraft noise in Los Angeles

Modeled estimates for general information only — not measurements, not a guarantee, and not for legal, medical or real-estate decisions.

Quiet LA’s aircraft level is an estimate derived from official airport contours, shown in the 24 h (CNEL) view only. It is not built from flight tracks, and it does not count individual flights or helicopters.

See the 24 h view on the map

What the aircraft layer shows

In the 24 h view the map adds the aircraft estimate to road and train noise. Each airport’s official noise contours are stretched outward to 55 CNEL, and the level between two contour lines is interpolated. No aircraft noise is added outside the 55 CNEL line.

Aircraft is on by default. Switch Aircraft off in the layers panel to remove it from the 24 h value and see road and train noise alone. The same switch draws the official contour lines (solid) and Quiet LA’s estimated extensions (dashed), in 5 dB CNEL steps. Day, Evening and Night views never include aircraft.

Where the LAX and airport noise data comes from

The contours are published by the airports and by LA County in land-use plans and quarterly noise reports. For LAX the source is Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and its California Airport Noise Standards quarterly report. Quiet LA uses nine airports, including LAX, Van Nuys, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach and Santa Monica. Sources & methods names each report.

Most official maps stop at 65 CNEL, so Quiet LA extends each airport’s contours down to 55 CNEL using the spacing of its own official lines. Contours from before the year 2000 are drawn but not counted.

How accurate is the aircraft estimate?

Compared with 57 permanent airport noise monitors, the estimate is within about 3 dB on average. It can read low far out along some approach paths.

The official contours are snapshots from different years, and below the lowest official contour the level is an extrapolation, not a flight model. Quiet LA does not use flight tracks, runway use or altitude. People can hear aircraft outside the 55 CNEL line, so a low value near an airport does not mean no aircraft noise.

What the aircraft layer does not show

• Individual flights, departures or overflights.
• Helicopters. See helicopter noise.
• Aircraft noise below 55 CNEL.
• An official or measured aircraft level. The layer is an estimate derived from the official contours.
• Indoor levels, or any official airport disclosure.

Quiet LA does not replace the official airport disclosure notices. See Limits.

How to file an aircraft noise complaint about LAX

Contacts checked against LAWA, FAA and LA County pages on 13 October 2026.

LAWA’s noise management program takes LAX aircraft noise comments four ways:

• The Viewpoint mobile app for iPhone and Android.
• The LAX noise comment form.
• LAX WebTrak, a live flight-tracking site where you can identify a flight and comment on it.
• The 24-hour LAX Aircraft Noise Comment Line at (424) 646-6473, also written (424) 64-NOISE.

The links are on LAWA’s LAX noise comments page. For Van Nuys Airport, LAWA lists a separate 24-hour line at (800) 560-0010 on its Van Nuys noise comments page.

How to report aircraft noise to the FAA

The FAA regulates aircraft noise standards, flight procedures and air traffic. For noise from a local airport, the FAA says to contact the airport first. For general concerns about noise standards, flight procedures or air traffic, it directs people to its Aviation Noise Complaint and Inquiry Response (ANCIR) Portal.

The FAA says complaints sent to the portal rarely lead to changes in airspace, but they do inform the FAA and policymakers. Start with the FAA’s how to file a noise complaint page.

Other agencies handle other noise. See who to call about noise in Los Angeles.