f10a

Overheard some gents chatting about age discrimination in airline hiring, mainly referring to Delta and United. With airlineapps asking for the dates of when you attended high school, is that not a clear way to filter through age and circumvent the ADEA/EEOC? Coincidentally, Pilot Credentials only asks if one has graduated high school, which most legal experts say is the best way to avoid any potential issue, at least until an offer of employment is made.

Im sure this has been hashed out before, but the thought did occur to me given the stats of most new hires being under 40.

Otterbox

2014-2015 hiring stats from Delta and United both show them hiring individuals in their late 50s and early 60s so this idea doesn't hold much water.

Unfortunately for the individuals in question their lack of getting hired is likely caused by career stagnation during the last 10-15 years as well as a lack of other "valued" experience that would break their resume/ application out from the crowd.

f10a

I would tend to agree but when the majority hired is under 40 one could think twice about what is really at play. Unfortunately, career stagnation is no fault of the pilot and many possess all the "desired qualities" being sought by new generation HR departments but still wait around for the call while their barely minted FO with 2 years experience get called.

Panzon

If the majority hired is under 40 that may be a reflection of the applicant pool demographics. That is, all other factors being equal the age distribution of applicants may have proportionally more younger applicants than older ones.

Without the benefit of actually having the demographic and qualification data for the applicant pool it is impossible to draw any conclusions. If you were an insider at Pilot Credentials or Airline Apps you might be able to analyze the data, but I'd imagine that privacy expectations would make that hard to do without jeopardizing one's career.

BarbaPapa

I hope to be part of the early 50's group and be called soon. Looking forward to fulfill a long time dream to go professional that took a little longer to get ready. I have hope that odds are in my favor, not against me. Wish me luck.

AltoCumulus

This has already been litigated...and the airlines won.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/11/09/airlines-refusal-to-hire-pilots-over-40-is-upheld/38586c0e-ffa7-4854-a10a-b6c13f0d5db4/

f10a

Interesting article.. But a lot has changed since 1976/1979!

younguspilot

I think this is usual in many other fields of economy like banking, receptionist, etc. Even the recruiters don't mention in their requirements but they do in silence.

OldWeasel

Does the position of "flight officer" exist in US aviation?

mooneymite

Part 121 sets age 65 as the limit for getting hired. This rule is not based on anything except years since birth. There are pilots flying under parts 91K, 135, and certainly 91 who have no trouble passing their first class physical, or their proficiency checks well beyond age 65. A fractional's union recently published a breakout by age that showed about 250 of their pilots in the age 65-80 bracket; 79 of those were over 70. These old guys are flying the rigorous fractional schedules of 7,or 8 day trips and 14 hour duty days. Part 121 trips would be a walk in the park for them, but they are locked out by the age 65 law.

So, if US law permits discrimination purely on the basis of age, why can't airlines discriminate based on age? Why would anyone object to age discrimination when it's enshrined in the regs? I believe that physically, a pilot declines rapidly after age 29. (Boy, could I tell you some stories about the screw-ups by pilots over 30!) In the interest of safety, airlines should not be permitted to even interview anyone over 27. Mandatory retirement should be set at age 35 regardless of ability, or health.

That's how to create a pilot shortage!

Let's give the junior guys a chance to move up before they're forced out at 35!