The Age 60 Rule has also withstood the legal challenge that it constitutes age discrimination. Although the rule does mandate a chronological age for retirement, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that it does not violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). In Professional Pilots Federation (PPF) v. FAA, 118 F.3d at 763 (D.C. Cir. 1997), the court held that, “nothing in the ADEA can plausibly be read to restrict the FAA from making age a criterion for employment when it acts in its capacity as the guarantor of public safety in the air…therefore, we conclude that the ADEA does not limit the authority of the FAA to prescribe a mandatory retirement age for pilots.”


Ref. http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/...81&wit_id=1941