What extra screening are they referring to. Pilots already get a medical every 6 months. Is it an extra EKG, blood work, or what?

As I stated a few times before, there is no reason to have 7 to 12 flights a day to cities that people can drive in 2 hours or less like GSP to CLT and COS to DEN. If the airlines truly wanted to service some of the small towns I am sure they could maybe take a few flights from drivable ones.

Here's an interesting twist. The bill explicitly forbids any medical exam that other pilots don't already get EXCEPT you have to get a 1st class every 6 months. That's the additional rigorous testing.

there is no reason to give a 66 year old a more detailed physical than a 64 year old. Honesty, looking at all the out of shape new hires coming through our doors, we should lower the age to start getting a yearly ekg.

To the guys claiming "age discrimination," how is it that 65 is "age discrimination," and 67 is not?

If you think age discrimination is, in fact, happening no, and you support anything other than no age restrictions whatsoever, you are a hypocrite in search of justification for a money grab.

How about the 23 year old ATP requirement? The 18 year old commercial requirement? The 17 year old private requirement? The 16 year old student requirement? How many retired 66 year olds today even care about the 64 year olds of today extending their career?

Of course there is. There is decrease in cognitive function as you age. So there should be a cognitive exam for aged pilots.

And don't worry. Those new hires get an EKG at 35. That's plenty young enough, even for the largest pilots.

unless they changed it, the EKG at 35 is a base they use for later years. The next one isn’t until 40.

The reason is $. If lots of people buy tickets, airlines will provide service. If they're short of resources (pilots), they'll do triage based on revenue & profitability... that's what's happening at the regionals.

They're not going to allocate service based on what's "fair" or how far people have to drive, and lose their arse in the process.

I agree with everything above. The era of age discrimination needs to go away both on low side and high side. How the powers that be come up with a solution would be the big legal question.