Talking Points: The FAA "Age 60" Rule
Allowing airline pilots to fly beyond age 60 is a win-win solution.While there is no supportable disadvantage in allowing healthy, qualified airline pilots over age 60 to continue in their airline positions, there are many advantages for the airlines, the pilots, the government, the traveling public, and the taxpayer, gained by retaining older, highly experienced, FAA certified, commercial airline pilots.
There is no medical, statistical, or empirical evidence to indicate that older pilots are less safe.
- FAA studies consistently find that accident rates for pilots with similar credentials declines through ages well beyond 60.
- Formal studies and empirical evidence of foreign airline pilots, up to age 72, report no operational problems with their oldest pilots.
- The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is currently considering adjusting their maximum age to conform to an international majority limit of 65.
- The European Joint Aviation Authority raised their age limit to 65 for commercial pilots in 1999.
- Israel and Japan have conducted studies of piloting after age 60 and consequently raised their max age to 65.
- The FAA system of semi-annual medical, functional simulator testing and check rides for all pilots purges the airline cockpits of any pilot likely to pose a safety hazard—regardless of age.
- FAA "Fail Safe" cockpit procedures preclude an accident in dual-piloted commercial airliners due to pilot incapacitation.
- The Aerospace Medical Association, Civil Aerospace Medical Association and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, find no medical basis for the Age 60 Rule.
- The EEOC has disputed the Age 60 Rule for over 20 years and has successfully forced private corporations to eliminate rules that required their pilots to retire at 60 under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1968 (ADEA).
- AARP supports the end of arbitrary retirement age for airline pilots.
The FAA "Age 60 Rule" is an unnecessary burden on the US taxpayer - for each additional year that an airline pilot continues in their position they will:
contribute to the Social Security Fund;
postpone the withdrawal of Social Security funds;
postpone the withdrawal of funds from under-funded airline pensions, and:
postpone or prevent the default of some pension plans.
Allowing airline pilots to work longer will afford them time to replenish retirement savings account losses due to recent interest and stock market declines and job dislocations.
Change to the Age 60 Rule will benefit the Airlines and Employees.
Increasing the maximum retirement age of pilots offers the airline pilot greater choice to leave only when they have satisfied career or retirement goals, and not prematurely.
Airline pilot labor agreements preclude a pilot from returning to their former carrier with seniority. Retired pilots at these airlines will not be able to displace active pilots.
Airlines, without contract language on returning pilots over age 60, should negotiate the terms and conditions for integrating retirees with the existing pilot group.
Retired Captains can bring immediate command experience to up-start airlines.
Airline and Union arguments, which support the current Rule, are economic and therefore not in compliance with the philosophy of the ADEA.
What Can Congress Do?
Support legislation to do away with the arbitrary Age 60 rule
Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) is sponsoring H.R. 65 and Sen. Jim Inhofe is sponsoring S. 65, similar bills, both of which will raise the retirement age to match eligibility for full Social Security benefits.
We ask that you work with Rep. Gibbons and Sen. Inhofe to pass this legislation which will extend the mandatory retirement age for pilots past the current arbitrary age of 60 as soon as possible.
This is a political compromise whose time has come and makes sense for all parties.
Just some food for thought!
