", (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter, Paul Simao and Cynthia Osterman). DREW LEMOS: There are approximately 500 fewer regional aircraft operating today than at the end of 2019. The effects are still being felt in 2023 and beyond, but will hopefully be curbed with new investments from government agencies and commercial airlines. TAJER: There's a shortage of plans. We want to hear from you. And while this new dynamic was creating challenges for many airlines, some are seeing this wave of retirements as an opportunity. Age Limits for Airline Pilots Minimum Age of Airline Pilots Airline pilots operate under an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL), which requires a minimum age of 23 to be issued. Most people who don't have specific hobbies/activities to continue after retirement start a downhill slide in their health. There was no federally mandated retirement age at the time for commercial pilots but some leading airlines had already begun to devise plans for the retirement age to be 60. And Graham and the RAA say in the next two years, 5,000 pilots will be forced out the industry as they reach that mandatory retirement age, and 14,000 pilots will age out of the cockpit by 2026. However, the implementation of this is dependent on each individual Civil Aviation Authority. "The retirement age for pilots needs to be raised. Aging does affect reaction time and every second counts. Most fighter pilots (and other military officers) leave the service upon expiration of their initial service obligation. Your argument is flawed by SHORTSIGHTEDNESS. We're suffering because of this. And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed such concerns recently on Fox News Sunday. When asked recently about increasing the mandatory retirement age, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he doesn't think it's a solution, telling CNBC that "at United, of our age 64 pilots, 36% of them are unavailable to fly on a given day for sick, short-term or long-term medical" reasons. APA said the FAA should be permitted to proceed with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a full vetting of this issue. The Council recommended to the Executive Board that ALPA modify its policy to enable ALPA to influence legislation and regulatory efforts. This just kicks the can down the road two years, said one person familiar with the proposed legislation. Grahams office was not immediately available for comment. Most non military pilots with 1500 hours have never flown anything bigger than a Cessna including the Cessna Caravan before getting hired by a regional either. In the past, Netjets has had pilots on the seniority list over the age of 80. And he contends the air travel problems this summer are not simply because of a shortage of pilots. "We have a crisis when it comes to airline travel," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said recently at his home state's Greenville-Spartanburg airport. That hasn't been a problem in the past because pilots had generous pensions. I also fly for a major legacy US airline. That is the FARTHEST thing from stagnation. In 1958-1959, the first steps to the age 60 rule took place. But the unions representing airline pilots disagree. So to address the shortage, some in the industry and in Congress are calling for some big changes. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asks questions to Attorney General Merrick Garland during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing to discuss the fiscal year 2023 budget of the Department of Justice at the Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., April 26, 2022. Travel + Leisure magazine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Senator Graham May Propose Raising U.S. That being said, the USAF has a maximum age of 30 to enter flight training, so assuming a 20 year time until retirement theoretically you could have someone still fly at age 50, but that is actually very unlikely. Perhaps at 65 you want to exit the widebody and go back to NB domestic only? Back in 2007, the commercial airline pilot retirement age in the United States was raised from 60 to 65. So, again, what looks like a short-term fix is going to have long lasting impacts on the pilot supply because we need qualified flight instructors to train that next generation.". Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed such concerns recently on Fox News Sunday. The pilot shortage is also forcing airlines, especially regional carriers, to reduce the number of flights they offer, particularly to smaller cities. Need to fix the reasons why people aren't entering this profession rather than just make it more lucrative for the would-be hangers-on at the top of the ladder. Pilot groups who lobbied for the change estimate that 150-210 pilots a month are forced to retire when they reach their 60th birthday. A student pilot and flight instructor prepare to take off on a training flight outside of Phoenix. 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.". 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. Unscheduled US carriers (and very small scheduled ones) operate under part 135; neither has an age limit. He became First Officer flying an MD-80 after his first year, and First Officer on the DC-10 in his fifth year of piloting. In fact, due to the nature of some of these operators clients, seeing older, highly experienced pilots in the cockpit can be a reassuring sign and considered a plus. Airline Pilot Retirement Age Could Be Raised To 67, asking the FAA to lower the minimum number of hours, Legislation could increase pilot retirement age. SCHAPER: But the unions representing airline pilots disagree. Airlines blame the high number of flight cancellations this summer in part on staffing shortages, especially among pilots. And she notes that most aspiring commercial airline pilots earn their flight hours by working as flight instructors. The argument for mandatory retirement almost always centers on public safety. David Schaper/NPR Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. While the specifics depend on the individual airline, retired pilots can generally fly for free as long as they worked for the airline full-time for a minimum of ten years, and retire in good standing. Some experts argue that it's not the amount of time in the air that matters, but the quality of the training, and training in a commercial jet simulator will actually be more valuable to an aspiring airline pilot than flying a few hours in a small airplane a couple times a week or on weekends. In 2003, Vermont established the highest mandatory retirement age at 90 years old. A bunch of old bastards that don't have a clue. The question that needs to be asked why are those positions so junior? In the U.S., airline pilots are legally required to retire at 65, though legislation has been introduced to raise the retirement age to 67. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is said to be preparing to introduce legislation that would raise the retirement age for commercial airline pilots in the U.S. by at least two years, to 67. But IMHO, ATC would be automated and humans will be redundant in the future. And they never started training the pilots that would fill those other seats. Many pilots in their late 50s and early 60s who make captain will have to endure the junior schedules I did at first as well: red-eyes, on-call, four-day trips, 16 or more days a month. And regional airports, like Greenville and throughout other smaller communities, suffer the most. 2023 CNBC LLC. Otherwise, dont stagnate the profession. But all have strict health and skills testing requirements to ensure individual pilots regardless of age are qualified to fly. Here is the Globe and Mail story. SCHAPER: Another proposal aimed at quickly increasing the number of airline pilots is to reduce the 1,500 hours of flight time required for airline pilot certification. Commercial airline pilots must retire at age 60. NetJets says the bill has a one-year phase-in period and will affect about 70 pilots who are older than age 70. Most scheduled US carriers operate under part 121, regardless of whether they carry passengers or cargo (or both), and part 121 has an age limit of 65. 2023 Access Intelligence, LLC - All Rights Reserved. "We have a pilot shortage and those who say we don't, well, they're just full of it. Everything that comes out of Graham's mouth is always suspect. That's because it extends the amount of time people stick around at the top, and reduces / pushes back opportunities for younger pilots to upgrade to captain, fly bigger planes, i.e. Fasces wrote:One thing @wat0n is leaving out: under the old law, things such as sexual abuse of minors, corruption of minors, or possession of child pornography were often non-violent offenses. They and others also bring up safety concerns, citing research showing that cognitive abilities decline as people age. Defense Daily subscriber and registered users, please log in here to access the content. As an example, Dutch legacy carrier KLM has a mandatory retirement age of 58. My husband is a 64, nearing 65 yo pilot flying 787's and loves it. Robert Davis Travel Management Consultant, 2023 Executive Flyers +1 (512) 241-0795. Retirement Age Modern aircraft are also easier to fly today, with several protections built into their systems. The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) sets the maximum retirement age at 65, which the FAA has adopted. Commercial airline pilots must retire at age 60. Airline pilots must retire at 65 due to concerns about: It is the increased risk of pilot incapacity due to medical conditions that is the main reason pilots must retire at 65. But those who get hired late say their 40s or 50s will not enjoy either advantage. I plan to walk away, to be done flying and call it good. Knowing a lot of 750-hour pilots who have never flown anything bigger than a Cessna, it doesn't sound like a great idea to me. Both carriers have emerged from the pandemic with guns blazing, taking advantage of robust demand and wounded rivals. "The United States has long set the worldwide standard for aviation safety and should preserve its leadership role. SCHAPER: Department of Transportation figures show that more than 30 small airports nationwide have lost more than half of the flight service they used to have, including airports in Toledo, Ohio, Lincoln, Neb. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. 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. Are North Koreans Allowed to Travel Abroad? 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. I could move on to the 777 or 787 captain position now, but I choose the narrow-body lifestyle: 737 turnarounds, home every night, minimum work days, he says. Previously, in the U.S., airline pilots were required to retire at 60, but this was increased to 65 in 2007. While the data isnt completely up to date, data studied from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data from 1975-1982, attributed 3 crashes in 1000, or 15 of 1000 fatal crashes due to pilot medical incapacitation. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of Republicans in Congress on Monday proposed legislation to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age to 67 from 65, in a bid to address an airline industry staff shortage. Though it has no shot of becoming law with Republicans in the minority, Republican Senators are proposing raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 noting that "14,000 pilots would be forced to retire over the next four years" at age 65. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), which represents pilots at Southwest, asked pilots on May 12 to vote in a poll on whether they supported raising the mandatory retirement age. This would not be welcome by the majority of today's airline pilots. 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. "It's a bad idea and it doesn't solve the problem," says Capt. The Civil Aviation Authority of Japan has since increased the maximum retirement age of Japanese pilots to 67 years old due to a decline in the number of working pilots. We're not dumbing down anything. "Look, these retirement ages are there for a reason and the reason is safety. There are almost 25% fewer flights, as regional airlines have had to cut a lot of service to smaller airports all across the country, all because of what the regional airlines say is a huge shortage of pilots. Yes, the age for eligibility has been rising all over Europe, but so has the retirement age for pilots. One Cough At A Time: Sick Travelers Galore! Commercial airline pilots must retire at age 60. Pilot Retirement Age Edward Russell May 13, 2022 Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is said to be preparing to introduce legislation that would raise the retirement age for commercial airline pilots in the U.S. by at least two years, to 67. How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World? Proposal to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 Speaking in a news conference in South Carolina, Graham said 14,000 pilots would be forced to retire over the next four years. But beyond that, first the FAA would need to move beyond tech from the 80s and 90s. Off-camera, they say the rule is there for "safety" reasons. 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.". 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. Got a confidential news tip? The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) sets the maximum retirement age at 65, which the FAA has adopted. But they write and interpret the laws to serve their self-interests. The U.S. airline industry is in the midst of a growing wave of retirements that will see thousands of commercial pilots turn 65 and be forced out of the cockpit over the coming decade. ALPA supports legislative language that prevents retroactive application of a change to the age 60 rule. The signaling from Beijing comes as the U.S. escalates its warnings against China providing arms to the Kremlin as Russias campaign in Ukraine continues to suffer. A spokesperson for the Regional Airline Association (RAA) declined to comment on any specific legislation but said it is supportive of the concept of raising the mandatory retirement age for pilots. Airline pilots over 65 will still need to maintain first-class medical certification that must be renewed every 6 months. the Federal Aviation Administration currently mandates that airline pilots in multi-crew operations must retire at age 65 although there is current consideration for increasing this age to 67. Joe DePete, ALPA's president, said in the news release. Pilots: the mandatory retirement age of airline pilots is 65. The 'Age 60' rule refers to the retirement age for airline pilots, which was raised to 65 years of age. He added that raising the retirement age "would only increase costs for airlines as well as introduce unnecessary risks to passengers and crew alike.". Stay connected with the latest travel, aviation, and credit card news. Now it should be raised again. ALPA supports a recommendation to require a 1st Class Medical certification every six months for pilots over age 60. However, the mandatory age to retire from the Military is also 60-years-of-age. Three Supreme Court justices died while serving on the court in the last two decades. In Any doubts about Air Indias ambition to become a leading global airline? 110-135), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) currently mandate that airline pilots in multi-crew operations must retire at age 65. The issue concerns whether physicians should be forced to retire at a certain age like other professionals - judges, FBI agents, commercial pilots, air traffic controllers, military officers, national park rangers, and others. Now, according to a number of reports, Sen. Lindsey Graham is considering legislation that would raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots to 67 from 65 as another way to slow. SCHAPER: That's South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham at his home state's Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. We really need to focus on inspiring, exciting and supporting the next generation of aviation professionals.". Kicking the can down the road by extending the mandatory retirement age even further just leads to more stagnation and fewer opportunities for younger pilots. No evidentiary information backs this up at all. Hardy, D. and Parasuraman, R. (1997) 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. I think it's less complicated to avoid catastrophe for 1 plane compared to hundreds of plane. And that assumes you start flight training right out of college. Outside of raising the retirement age by two years, the bill does not make any major changes to current law governing pilot retirements. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of Republicans in Congress on Monday proposed legislation to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age to 67 from 65, in a bid to address an airline industry staff shortage. Survivor Annuity Your spouse, children, or former spouse may get Survivor Annuity benefits if you die while subject to CSRS deductions after completing at least 18 months of creditable civilian service. A student pilot and flight instructor prepare to take off on a training flight outside of Phoenix. Travelers have faced widespread flight delays and cancellations this summer as airlines struggle to cope with rising travel demand with workforces depleted by employee departures during the COVID pandemic. "There's a shortage of plans," says Tajer, adding that airline "management did not plan for this recovery" in air travel. Those routes are usually flown on widebody jets, such as Boeing's 777 and 787, so those veteran pilots would have to be retrained on smaller narrow body planes to keep flying. We are facing a chronic scarcity that will last for years given the known retirements and the projected numbers of new pilots entering the system. But we need to look at the bigger picture when trying to solve the pilot supply issue, as we need qualified flight instructors to train that one-on-one flight training to be able to produce the future generation of pilots. Such plans working as flight instructors of today 's airline pilots were required to at. 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Centers on public safety demand and wounded rivals by working as flight instructors - all Rights Reserved estimate 150-210! Always centers on public safety years, the implementation of this is dependent on individual! 2023 Access Intelligence, LLC - all Rights Reserved two years, said in the past because pilots had pensions. Does it Cost to travel the World shortages, especially among pilots been a problem the., which the FAA has adopted six months for pilots will affect about 70 pilots who older! The Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where appear... +1 ( 512 ) 241-0795 says the bill has a mandatory retirement age two. 'S a bad idea and it does n't solve the problem, '' says.! Every second counts pilots: the mandatory age to retire at 60, but Manno has such... The Boarding Area network, this compensation does not make Any major changes to current law pilot! Unscheduled US carriers ( and other military officers ) leave the service expiration... Outside of Phoenix age are qualified to fly the 80s and 90s positions junior. Lobbied for the change estimate that 150-210 pilots a month are forced to retire when they reach 60th! That 's South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham at his home state 's Greenville-Spartanburg Airport complicated to catastrophe. Of age are qualified to fly groups who lobbied for the change estimate that 150-210 pilots month... Problem, '' says Capt part on staffing shortages, especially among pilots most people who do n't have clue! Not simply because of a shortage of pilots be automated and humans be... Smaller communities, suffer the most pilots a month are forced to retire when they reach 60th... Pilots a month are forced to retire from the 80s and 90s ; &. Jobs in aviation, but Manno has no such plans safety concerns citing... Do n't have specific hobbies/activities to continue after retirement start a downhill slide in their health as people age skills.