RockBottom

Posted on Fri, Nov. 18, 2005

Pilots' retirement age may rise

By David Wethe
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

The nation's pilots are one step closer to pushing back their retirement age from 60 to 65.

On Thursday, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved Senate Bill 65, which would require the Department of Transportation to make the retirement age the same as what an international group sets it at, which is expected to be 65.

The International Civil Aviation Organization is still trying to come up with a final set of standards for its age restriction. That decision could come by November 2006.

The Senate bill would also require pilots to continue flying until their 65th birthdays as long as they're accompanied by a co-pilot who's age 60 or younger.

A date for the Senate vote has not been scheduled. The bill must also be reconciled with a House version introduced by Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.

Tech Maven

Say goodbye to your upgrades, ladies and gentlemen.

apdriver69

65 ain't NEVER going to pass! Trust me i have lots of inside info!!! It's going to remain 60 for a long time!!!!

RiddleEagle18

wouldn't that cause one hell of a scheduling nightmare?
Interesting though

Fools & Horses

Hey apdriver,
I know we aren't the brightest group on the planet, but you were inadvertently correct.
I don't think it will happen all at once, but I do think it will go up by at least two years
at first. Get ready kids....

8out

A retirement age of 65 brought to you by the same selfishness of the B-scale authors.

The only way to be fair if the age has to be raised is to raise it so slowly it does not unfairly reward those currently at the end of their career, and punish those at the beginning. For example, the age could be raised a month a year until the "new age" was reached.

Let's all be honest about the "need" to raise the age. Greed.

Management has screwed many in this industry. Let's not screw each other.

Cheers

KiloAlpha

One would think airlines would be opposed to this rule change. These old guys are the ones earning the big bucks. Theoretically, you would want to dump them as fast as possible and hire a new guy at a much lower rate.

Freighter Captain

Like this? Read near the bottom of the letter,


HOW TO EASE THE AGE LIMIT
Aviation Week & Space Technology
08/22/2005, page 8

Fleet Smith
Campbellsburg, Ky.

Cognitive abilities and commanding a transport airliner are individualized traits. An arbitrary age limit seems out of step with scientific research on aging and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines, as mentioned by Capt. Al Spain in his Viewpoint (AW&ST Aug. 8, p. 66).

That said, as a fairly senior Boeing 767 captain who will retire in less than seven years, I find it disingenuous that those my age who benefited from the Age 60 Rule now wish to change it overnight. All those flying airliners today knew the rules when they received their airline seniority numbers, and have advanced in seniority as those above us attained age 60.

While the current economic turmoil has affected many pension plans, that is not the problem of the thousands of young furloughed pilots. Raising the age limit would only extend the furloughs of these young pilots, and cause further deterioration of their piloting skills due to inactivity. As a former Braniff pilot I am sympathetic to those with pension problems, yet did we not learn anything from Braniff, Pan Am and Eastern?

Defined benefit pension plans are a gamble, and have been for many years. The only sure retirement is the money you save yourself. Most retiring pilots with Part 121 carriers have made good livings for many years; let's move over and let younger pilots have their chances. Even with a reduced retirement, I imagine most retired pilots will have a higher standard of living than a junior first officer, not to mention the furloughed first officer.

I propose the Age 60 Rule be raised, but incrementally. The age limit should be raised one month per year for the next 60 years, giving us an age limit of 65 in the year 2065. No senior captains will be enriched unjustly by a sudden rule change, and no junior first officers will be penalized in career advancement.

SWAcapt

The only way that age 60 won't go away is to deny foriegn ICAO age 60+ pilots access to US airspace. Apparently the commerce commitee now thinks we are as safe as our foreign counterparts.

Rocket Man

They might prefer it. The airlines get another 5 years out of someone. When they die at 65 yrs 1 month, they don't have to pay squat for retirement, benefits, etc (assuming they still exist).