Like most commercial airports in the U.S., Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) operates 24 hours per day 365 days per year. There is no night-time curfew at DFW and flight activity during overnight hours can be heavy at times due to cargo airlines which tend to fly during this time when passenger airlines are less active. Understanding the disturbing nature of night-time operations to the community DFW works closely with the FAA to influence how the airport is operated during these hours to help minimize the disruption to residents living around the airport and whenever possible utilize noise-sensitive flight paths.

DFW complaint submission guidelines currently allow for the submission of one noise complaint per occurrence.  Multiple disturbances or a range of times on a single submission will not be considered as multiple submissions.  To be recorded, each submission must include the following mandatory information:  Name, address, email address, phone number, date/time of disturbance, and a detailed description of the disturbance.  Use of obscene language and threats against the airport and or staff will result in rejection of the complaint and possible legal action against the submitter.

The airspace over the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is very congested, with over a dozen airports close to each other. The FAA establishes air traffic patterns throughout the metroplex, to safely separate aircraft, both horizontally and vertically. Aircraft flying over the community may often be associated with DFW (one of the busiest airports in the country), but could also be flying to or from, Dallas Love Field or one of the numerous smaller general aviation-focused airports. Military jet and turboprop aircraft are also very prevalent in the sky above the metroplex in association with Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. Also Bell, with its headquarters and primary manufacturing and assembly plant located in Fort Worth, test flies dozens of new civilian and military helicopters daily.

Weather conditions affect the transmission of aircraft noise in several ways.  First, on hot spring and summer days, especially those over 100 degrees, aircraft climb more slowly placing them closer to communities under the flight paths.  Secondly, when skies are very cloudy, and the clouds are low to the ground, the noise from aircraft can rebound off the clouds and back to earth, making planes seem louder.  Lastly, on very windy days sound can travel much further downwind, resulting in aircraft noise carrying farther than usual.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control (ATC), not DFW has sole authority and responsibility for routing and separating air traffic across the national airspace system.  ATC's priority is the safe and efficient movement of aircraft through the sky above the United States.  Because DFW is part of a much larger and complex airspace system movements of aircraft within the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex must be carefully coordinated with other control areas to ensure the safe flow of all planes, this can occasionally result in aircraft being required to deviate from established flight paths to ensure the safety of all airplanes operating in the sky.