The U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Raise Pilot Retirement Age
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted in favor of legislation that would increase the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 65 to 67. This bill also includes other aviation reforms and aims to reauthorize the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years.
The approved legislation received a vote of 351-69 in the Republican-led House. However, the Senate will need to consider its own version of the bill.
The Air Line Pilots Association has expressed concerns regarding the proposed retirement age increase, citing potential issues with airline scheduling, pilot training, and the need to renegotiate pilot contracts. Additionally, international regulations would still prohibit pilots above the age of 65 from flying in most countries outside the United States.
On the other hand, the Regional Airline Association supports raising the pilot retirement age, arguing that it would allow the retention of experienced captains who can mentor new first officers and contribute to stabilizing attrition.
Notably, the White House has voiced opposition to a provision in the House bill that seeks to repeal a 2012 Transportation Department regulation requiring airlines to advertise full fares including government fees and taxes. The bill also does not include President Joe Biden’s desired provision for compensating passengers for delays or setting minimum airline seat sizes.
The House measure, however, would prohibit airlines from charging fees to ensure families can sit together during flights. It also maintains pilot training rules implemented after a fatal passenger airplane crash near Buffalo in 2009. Delta Air Lines’ request for additional round-trip flights at Washington Reagan National Airport was not included in the bill.
Airlines for America, an industry trade group, has praised the House’s approval of the legislation, emphasizing the need to hire more air traffic controllers to adequately staff the airspace.
In the Democratic-led Senate Appropriations Committee, funding for the FAA was unanimously approved, allowing the agency to hire an additional 1,800 controllers in the coming year. The Senate Commerce Committee may address the FAA reauthorization bill as early as next week.
However, the Senate bill has encountered delays due to a disagreement over whether to modify pilot training requirements that were implemented following the fatal crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in February 2009, which resulted in the deaths of 50 individuals. This incident remains the most recent major fatal crash involving a U.S. passenger airline.