Editorial:

It might be easy to dismiss the failed effort of Bob Hope Airport officials for nighttime restrictions as a waste of money and resources, but then, it was a battle of necessity.

Regardless of the chances a curfew had with the Federal Aviation Administration, it was the job of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to try, and try it did, like no other airport has.

The closely watched application was denied, but it wasn’t all for naught. We now know that avenue has been exhausted, and that other paths to noise relief must be pursued. Our Congressional representatives are pushing legislation as an end around, and it appears efforts at coalition building for alternatives have been renewed.

This week, airport authority members vowed to continue the fight, giving some recourse for the hundreds of residents who live near Bob Hope Airport and contend with the noise, day in and day out.

The fight is more about pandering to a certain group of discontented residents. Yes, a considerable amount of resources went into the original nighttime curfew application, and more will no doubt be spent on pushing alternatives, but the naysayers truly need to take a few minutes to try on someone else’s shoes.

Many residents bought their homes before Bob Hope Airport transformed from a niche facility to full-scale regional airport. As if that didn’t hurt home values enough, the protracted downturn in the market has all but totally sapped the ability of residents to effectively move.

All of this assumes that they should have to sell and move in the first place, especially if some sort of accord on nighttime flights can be achieved.

So to the good people who’ve had to overcome the sizable federal setback, keep it up.