Southwest tells pilots: Better follow the rules

By JEAN HELLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 4, 2000

TAMPA -- Southwest Airlines has taken quick action to deal with its pilots' violations of Tampa International Airport's noise control policies. On Friday, one day after learning of the problem, the airline ordered the pilots to cut it out.

"I can assure you that we never as a company intended to violate the airport's noise control program," said Southwest spokeswoman Melanie Jones. "Our vice president for flight operations, Greg Crum, is writing a "read-before-flying' memo to all our pilots today that they are to use runway 36-Left unless there is a compelling operational reason to do otherwise."

Runway 36-Left is TIA's western runway. Under TIA's noise abatement program, jets landing to the north are supposed to use 36-Left because most of the approach is over water. But Southwest's pilots frequently "sidestep" to runway 36-Right, on the east side of the airport, where the approach takes the planes over residential rooftops.

TIA officials learned of Southwest's deviations when South Tampa residents began calling to complain of low-flying aircraft over their neighborhoods. Of 47 complaints investigated during the first nine months of 1999, 29 of the sidesteps to 36-Right were Southwest flights. During one nine-day period last October, nine Southwest flights sidestepped to 36-Right.

Landing on 36-Right puts Southwest flights much closer to their gates at Airside A, an important consideration since the airline tries to get its planes into airports and out again in 20 minutes.

Kenneth L. Johnson, TIA's assistant director of operations, wrote to Southwest documenting the problem Nov. 15, but the official he wrote to retired at about the same time and the matter fell between the cracks, Southwest said.

Greg Crum, who became Southwest's vice president for flight operations "had never seen the letter, and he was unaware of the situation," Jones said. "We want to work hard to be good neighbors to the community, and we hope we have resolved the problem."

"That's good news," said Louis Miller, executive director of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. "I hope we've got their attention."

The problem surfaced Thursday when the Aviation Authority board voted to spend more than $21,000 for a system that will map the flight paths at TIA.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.