"It's unfortunate that we have to take this serious step," Spano says. "But we have been forced to do this by the arrogance of Continental Airlines and the other commercial airlines that regularly and deliberately ignore our request that they not fly between midnight and 6:30 a.m."

County government officials note that Westchester does not have the legal authority to impose a mandatory curfew.

Earlier this month, Continental Airlines inaugurated a flight to Cleveland that leaves the airport at 5:59 a.m., becoming the second airline to initiate a regularly scheduled flight in violation of the curfew. The other was Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a Delta Airlines subsidiary, which last September began a 5:59 a.m. flight to Atlanta. Four other non-conforming early morning daily flights were inherited from the previous county administration, and there is one additional 6:24 a.m. flight that typically does not leave the gate until after the curfew has elapsed at 6:30 a.m., Spano adds.