New law lets pilots keep flying until age 65

Legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Bush last week raises the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from age 60 to age 65. The age 60 rule had been in effect since 1959. The legislation had the backing of the Federal Aviation Administration, which wanted to bring its policy into line with that of the International Civil Aviation Organization. That global body revised its pilot age standards a year ago. Under the new rules, both pilots aboard domestic flights can be up to age 65; on international flights, only one pilot can be up to age 65; the other must be under age 60.

The views of the pilot community were not unanimous, however. The Air Line Pilots Association, with 60,000 members, had lobbied for the rule change, which it said “reflects the direction of ALPA leadership.” Likewise, the 5,600-member Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said the rule change will “enhance safety by ensuring that we keep our most experienced pilots flying longer.” But the Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing American Airlines’ 12,000 pilots, thought the higher age limit was a bad idea. The group said its member pilots support a mandatory age 60 retirement by a seven-to-one margin. “The reality is no one knows what would happen with large numbers of 65-year-old pilots in the cockpits of modern commercial airliners operating in today’s demanding environment,” the APA said. “The data doesn’t exist because it would be unprecedented. Prudence therefore dictates that we proceed with caution.”