Optimizing airport flight patterns take a toll on human health

(Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health) Health costs associated with noise from changing flight patterns over populated urban landscapes far outweigh the benefits of reduced flight times, according to a new study. The researchers used flights from LaGuardia airport that have historically flown over Flushing Meadows and the US Tennis Center in Queens -- known as the TNNIS route -- as a case study to explore the trade-offs between more efficient flight routes and suffering on the g...