And she notes that most aspiring commercial airline pilots earn their flight hours by working as flight instructors. Following ICAOs lead, international flights would require at least one pilot under age 60. The Age 60 Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) did not reach a consensus recommendation but did provide detailed insight and analysis that will be helpful as the FAA develops a rule. But, Ive been a captain for over 26 years. "Look, these retirement ages are there for a reason and the reason is safety. As the country's pilot shortage fuels flight cuts, Sen. Lindsey Graham is introducing legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots to 67 from 65. So the rule is you can't fly Part 121 operations if you're over 65. The proposal, which would require pilots over age 65 to pass a rigorous medical screening every six months, follows complaints of pilot shortages by many regional airlines. And regional airports, like Greenville and throughout other smaller communities, suffer the most. This represents a loss of a quarter of the regional fleet. You want more years flying? Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. On September 27, 2006, Blakey established a group of airline, labor and medical experts to recommend whether the United States should adopt the new ICAO standard and determine what actions would be necessary if the FAA were to change its rule. Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. Airlines blame the high number of flight cancellations this summer in part on staffing shortages, especially among pilots. Five hundred parked aircraft equates to a deficiency of approximately 5,000 pilots. Off-camera, they say the rule is there for "safety" reasons. So in a bid to handle the current shortage of pilots, he and other US lawmakers are proposing an increase of the limit to 67 years. Weve got Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. "It's time for America to adjust its age when it comes to allowing qualified people to be in the cockpit," he said. SCHAPER: Tajer and others also bring up safety concerns, citing research showing that cognitive abilities decline as we age. something without a mandatory retirement age. Bamboo Airways Seat Assignment Adventures, Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners, Pilots have to undergo recurrent training and medical exams, and theyll only continue to be able to fly if theyre deemed to be fit to do so, Many people dont actually want to retire at 65, so after theyre forced to retire from the airlines, they go fly for private jet operators (where the same retirement age doesnt apply), In general forcing fit people to retire at an arbitrary age just seems silly to me, Pilots are split on this, which I find a bit strange, assuming that flying for an extra two years is optional, and nothing is taken away if pilots still want to retire at 65; the only downside might be for more junior pilots, as their seniority may be partially stalled for two years (then again, that wont be a huge issue with the current shortage), Most unions have come out against this initially; then again, they also initially came out against the retirement age being raised from 60 to 65, but are now in favor of that, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has suggested that this wont do much in the long run to help with the pilot shortage, If anything, airlines might be most opposed to this in the long run, because it will mean that more pilots are at the top of the pay scale, since pilot pay accounts for how many years youve been at the airline; airlines largely prefer more junior employees, who arent topping out the pay scale. ", "This legislation is yet another attempt to distract the conversation from the real issue, which is that some U.S. airlines have clearly failed to plan for the industry's comeback that we are experiencing today," Capt. Is has never beren so EASY and so FAST to become a major airline captain. Marisa Garcia is an aviation writer and analyst. Graham noted that in 2007 the United States raised the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, and "the sky did not fall." Even if the proposal is approved, the union said pilots older than. This would not be welcome by the majority of today's airline pilots. When recently asked about increasing the mandatory retirement age, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby noted that more than a third of his airline's pilots that are 64 years old already cannot fly because of medical reasons. But IMHO, ATC would be automated and humans will be redundant in the future. Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. "Each day that passes without raising the retirement age to 65, approximately five our senior, most experienced pilots will be forced to retire," said House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D- MN). Anybody can have a passable simulator check ridebut at some age, decline sets in, and will manifest itself at inopportune times. ago 2.1.10.1 A Contracting State, having issued pilot licences, shall not permit the holders thereof to act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft engaged in international commercial air transport operations if the licence holders have attained their 60th birthday or, in the case of operations with more than one pilot where the other pilot is younger . And they never started training the pilots that would fill those other seats. I also fly for a major legacy US airline. United States Senator Lindsey Graham has introduced legislation to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67, hoping to ease the difficulties currently caused by a pilot shortage in the US. Modern aircraft are also easier to fly today, with several protections built into their systems. The answer is to make sure that we have as many and as good pilots ready to take their place; to have a stronger pipeline.". 2023 Access Intelligence, LLC - All Rights Reserved. It pits younger pilots eager to gain seniority and older pilots who feel fit to fly and need the money. John Prater said "ALPA pilots will be fully engaged in shaping any rule change since any legislative or regulatory change needs to address ALPAs priorities.". For enlisted people, they can wear their uniform until they are 62 years old, depending on which branch of . Among them are raising the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, and reducing the number of flight hours required before a pilot can be certified. ", (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter, Paul Simao and Cynthia Osterman). This is a fact. David Schaper/NPR The effects are still being felt in 2023 and beyond, but will hopefully be curbed with new investments from government agencies and commercial airlines. He points out that even though the airlines received $50 billion in taxpayer funding to keep employees on the payroll during the pandemic, many of them gave pilots generous early retirement packages, including partial pay, benefits and other enticements. ", Airlines for America, an industry group representing major carriers including American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, declined to say if it supports raising the pilot retirement age. Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth wrote in April that United CEO Scott Kirby said U.S. airlines would hire roughly 13,000 new pilots this year, and the same number or more in 2023. That hasn't been a problem in . Senator Lindsey Graham said the proposal would help address travel snarls in the United States. One Cough At A Time: Sick Travelers Galore! I'll give a relatively quick synopsis. NetJets Pilots Union Accepts Age 70 Mandatory Retirement: NetJets pilots will be forced to retire at age 70, a compromise plan that has the backing of their union, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots said. He added that raising the retirement age "would only increase costs for airlines as well as introduce unnecessary risks to passengers and crew alike.". Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Airline pilots must retire at 65 today, an age that was set in 2007, when Congress raised the it from 60. NetJets. But despite such concerns, as passenger frustrations this summer grow over chronic flight delays and cancellations, Congress may feel compelled to take up the proposals to increase the pilot retirement age and cut the number of hours required for air transport pilot certification. SPC President Lewis J. Tetlow, a Vietnam War vet and US Airways captain who was forced into retirement when he turned 60 on April 2, 2007, said: "The FAA needs to get out of the age discrimination business and into the business of making sure there are enough pilots out there to keep our airways safe and airlines flying on schedule. "Its time to close the book on age 60," former FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said in a Jan. 30, 2007 speech. This is in part because the age to qualify for state retirement income is higher than the mandatory pilot retirement age, but some associations also make a case that keeping more experienced senior pilots onboard who have learned to fly without the help of advanced digital systems is better for aviation safety. And it doesn't solve the problem. With this bill, we'd see the retirement age for commercial airline pilots raised by two years, from 65 to 67. After retiring, many pilots pursue second careers as flight trainers or find other jobs in aviation, but Manno has no such plans. In most other countries around the world, the mandatory retirement age of pilots is also 65 due to international aviation rules and not necessarily any regulation set by the government. U.S. President Bush on Dec. 13 signed a bill to raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots to 65, allowing senior pilots to fly an additional five years. But Blakey stepped down from her post to head the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) with no rule change in place, and the FAA said a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is required before any final action is taken. I'm not a pilot, but I did follow some of their (public) deliberations back in 2007, and there were many pilots furious at the idea of raising the retirement age to 65. 50 isnt too old to become an airline pilot, What to Do If Flight Prices Decrease After Booking. There's already a shortage of flight instructors, Bjerke says, so losing the current pipeline of flight instructors to the airlines "would be detrimental to how many students we could bring into our aviation program. We're not dumbing down anything.". Commercial airline pilots must retire at age 60. Under Supreme Court precedent, an employer bears a heavy burden in proving that a mandatory retirement policy of age 67 for its bookkeepers or accountants is justified by the BFOQ defense under the ADEA. 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