CONGRESSMEN OPPOSE POST-CURFEW ARRIVALS.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer

BURBANK - Three local congressmen wrote a joint letter to United Airlines Wednesday, urging the airline to scrap plans for a flight arriving at Burbank Airport at 11:15 p.m., long after a voluntary curfew.

Reps. Howard L. Berman, D-Mission Hills; Henry A. Waxman, D-Los Angeles; and Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills, wrote to United's chairman and Chief Executive James E. Goodwin, asking ``in the strongest possible terms'' to cancel plans to begin the new flight.

Scheduled to begin on Halloween, the flight would actually leave San Francisco eight minutes after the 10 p.m. curfew.

Approximately six flights regularly fly in after the voluntary curfew but none by more than an hour, airport officials said.

``These arrivals and departures, though relatively few in number, severely disrupt the lives of many San Fernando Valley residents and reaffirm their legitimate fears that we will soon see a massive expansion of flights at this airport,'' the letter states.

Airline spokesman Alan Wayne said the airline's flight schedule ``remains under review,'' but the plan to introduce the flight had not changed.

The congressmen's voices join others concerned about the new flight. Activists said it best illustrates the need for a mandatory curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority has been trying to get the airline to reconsider the flight. And the city of Burbank sent its own letter of opposition.

The Federal Aviation Administration does not allow airports to set mandatory curfews for the newer, quieter aircraft, so the voluntary limits are the best Burbank airport can have right now.