teddyballgame

Ha!

That got everybody's attention, didn't it?

But before everyone under 55 has an aneurysm, here's what I'm referring to:

I have heard that there are conversations being held about granting relief to the restriction that at least one pilot on an international flight be under age 60. That is, airlines would be able to schedule a captain and a first officer who are both 60 or older on an international flight, which they cannot do now.

Has anybody else heard or read anything recently on this subject?

flybywire44

This will likely change in a year or two.

I would also expect to see age 67 first officers within the next 5 years.

iahflyr

Get rid of the age restriction all together. If you can hold a first class medical, then you should be legal to fly. If you don't believe a first class medical is stringent enough, then up the standards.

This is the only career I can think of where there is blatant age discrimination. For the record, I adequately planned for retirement and plan to retire between 55 and 60, but I cannot stand that some of my friends are being forced out.

Snarge

Yeah with unemployment so high... let's make young people work for low wages or no wages while old people with more wealth.... make more money...

ZapBrannigan

Got to wait until there has been an unprecedented industry-wide furlough of thousands of pilots and THEN increase the retirement age (thereby extending the furlough).

Flyby1206

Teddy dont scare me like that!

I propose letting any pilot over the age of 65 continue flying, as long as they start back over at the bottom of the company seniority list A few years of S80 LGA reserve would give pause to anyone thinking about staying!

Moose

Let me help you with that....

7 Jobs With Mandatory Retirement Ages - SecondAct.com
Here's a sampling of workers who still face mandatory retirement ages.
1. Air traffic controllers: Mandatory retirement age of 56, with exceptions up to age 61 for certain workers who have "exceptional skills and experience."

2. FBI agents and other federal law enforcement officers: All federal agents have a mandatory retirement age of 57, which means that in real life, NCIS main character Leroy Gibbs (shown, top) probably would be spending his days sailing that boat he's forever building in his basement. (Mark Harmon, who portrays Gibbs, turns 61 this year.) According to the FBI website, "in rare circumstances," the FBI director may grant one-year extensions up to age 60.

[Related: What Boomers Can Learn From Agent Gibbs]

3. National park rangers: The mandatory retirement age is 57 at Yellowstone in Wyoming and at other national parks.

4. U.S. Lighthouse Service workers: If you keep watch to prevent maritime accidents, either in a federal lighthouse or on a ship, you're required to retire at age 55, provided that you've amassed 30 years of service. If you started later and haven't yet reached that point, the government will let you stay until age 62.

5. Airline pilots: Federal rules dictate a mandatory retirement age of 65. The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act raised the retirement age from 60 (set in 1959) to 65 in 2007.

6. Local firefighters: Some communities set age limits. In New Jersey, for example, the mandatory retirement age for volunteer firefighters is 70. Even so, as this article from The Record reports, a lot older firefighters say they can keep answering the bell.

7. Florida Supreme Court justices: The Florida Constitution establishes mandatory retirement at age 70.

iahflyr

In Saudi Arabia, it is illegal to drink alcohol, and is punishable by public lashing. Does that make it acceptable to have this law in a US state?

Should a law be acceptable because there are other places where that law exists, OR should we do what's right? Seems simple to me.

If you have a problem with older people continuing to work and "taking your jobs," then maybe you should move to a Communist country where they share the wealth.

This is how I feel when I hear people talking about this subject:
Southpark - They Took Our Job! - YouTube

Snarge

awww how cute.... an invitation to leave the country... vote GOP?

Lambourne

What was the age restriction when you began your career as an airline pilot? If you entered knowing full well that Age 60 was in place at the time why even be a pilot? If you did know were you one of the new hires that was waiting to move up the list while championing raising the age even if it meant you would be possibly furloughed or spend years longer in the FE or FO seat?

My guess is you didn't want to see this "unfair" law changed until you got close. I too am close and will go at 60 because that is what I signed on for. I lost my A plan but I still have my self respect and a decent B fund. Looking forward to retirement. I don't want die on a layover somewhere. I want to enjoy life outside of the cockpit. Perhaps if your "friends" had made better choices they wouldn't be in a financial pickle. I too have old friends that were the benefactors of 5 extra years and they continued to buy and waste money and are now staring the new age in the eye. At some point they have to take responsibility for their own actions.

Enjoy working til you croak. I will be in Cabo if you need me....

L