Originally Posted by
skypilot35
I don't think Japan has 18,000 regional pilots available to choose from. There has to be a need. Additionally, I would imagine that the average 64.9 year old pilot is not the cheapest on the seniority list. I doubt there will be any airline lobbying to keep the most expensive guys on the roster employed.
There was a decent amount of airline support for age 65. A few reasons:
1) Less training costs. One retirement can trigger a half a dozen training events.
2) Airline salaries max (for almost all airlines) at the 12 year mark. The cost of having pilots fly for another 3 years isn't as much as one would think.
3) By extending pilot careers, the supply of pilots remains higher. This allows the airlines to pay pilots less money.
I'm sure that there are plenty of other pros and cons for the airlines, but I would guess that the economics of an age change are a big reason for the airlines to push for it.
On the Congressional side, lawmakers
1) Do not want to be labeled as someone who practices age discrimination.
2) Having pilots work longer means more money coming into and less money going out of Social Security.