Fort Worth, Texas (November 13, 2007)—The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing the 12,000 pilots of American Airlines (NYSE: AMR), is urging President Bush to follow through with his stated intention of vetoing a transportation appropriations bill.
The spending bill includes language that would raise airline pilot retirement age to 65 from the current age 60 standard. Congress is expected to pass the bill sometime this week. The legislation will then go to the White House for final approval.
“By an overwhelming majority, our pilots support keeping retirement at age 60,” said APA President Captain Lloyd Hill. “They support the current mandatory retirement age based on numerous safety concerns, foremost among them pilot fatigue.”
Hill pointed out that the National Transportation Safety Board has linked pilot fatigue to 10 commercial aviation accidents since 1993 that killed 260 people. He also noted that the issue of pilot fatigue has generated significant public attention recently. An article in the Nov. 7, 2007 issue of USA Today reported that fatigue led hundreds of pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers to make mistakes on the job, including six cases where pilots fell asleep in mid-flight. Pilots acknowledged that they “flew to the wrong altitude, botched landings and missed radio calls.”
Hill added that research by the Aerospace Medical Association has shown that older pilots have greater difficulty dealing with the physical demands of overnight flying and long flights across multiple time zones. The Federal Aviation Administration has conceded that older pilots’ accumulated experience does not compensate for the impact of fatigue on their performance.
“President Bush has cited cost concerns as the reason behind his plans to veto the transportation appropriations bill,” Hill said. “We agree the bill would prove costly—but not just in dollars and cents.”
APA plans to run newspaper advertising later this week that calls on airline passengers to make their voices heard. The union will recommend that travelers contact the White House to urge President Bush to follow through with his veto plans.
“We will let our passengers know that for safety’s sake, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.