Flight paths change in Phoenix; still no resolution for angry neighbors

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - It's been two years since the Federal Aviation Administration changed the flight path of planes taking off from Sky Harbor Airport. The move made residents living along the new route angry and city officials say they were never told this was happening.

They've been fighting with the feds ever since and now there's still no resolution.

"Two years ago, we woke up to a lot more noise over our neighborhood than we had experienced," said Steve Dreiseszun.

Dreiseszun says he's had to live with the constant sound of planes taking off from Sky Harbor and flying right over his historic Phoenix home.

"We can't enjoy barbecues and family time -- there's a plane flying over right now -- can't do interviews in my front yard without being interrupted -- so it's been a big change," he said.

The flight plans were changed on September 18, 2014 without any warning from the FAA.

"Where planes usually land and take off was different," said Deborah Ostreicher, Assistant Aviation Director at Sky Harbor. She says the flight plan was changed when the FAA unveiled new technology which was supposed to be more efficient and save fuel for airlines, called NextGen.

"The city of Phoenix is all for NextGen, it's fabulous technology. The problem is the FAA changed those flight paths over Phoenix without giving any formal publication about it," explained Ostreicher.

The city of Phoenix and a group of homeowners in the historic district filed lawsuits to change the flight paths back, but a year after that lawsuit, there is still no resolution.

But residents, like Dreiseszun, are hopeful they'll have some peace soon.