In a time when equal opportunity policies are in place to prevent workplace discrimination, the pilot age limit codifies a practice of ageism in the airline industry that this bill would begin to alleviate.
May 9, 2023
The Honorable Lindsey Graham
Senator from South Carolina
211 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Troy Nehls
22nd Congressional District of Texas
1104 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator Graham and Representative Nehls,
On behalf of the two million members of AMAC, the Association of Mature American Citizens, including over 50,400 members in South Carolina, and over 5,300 members in TX-22, we are pleased to offer our support for both the House and Senate versions of the “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act” (S. 893 and H.R. 1761, respectively).
The airline industry is presently facing several challenges. There are high standards to bring new pilots into the industry and onto the flight deck, and there is an age limit prematurely removing experienced pilots from the flight deck at the age of 65. These together reduce the pool of pilots able to staff airlines and their routes. This reduced staffing manifests as cancelled flights and cancelled routes.
The mandatory retirement age itself has not only been raised in the past but is arbitrary and unsubstantiated. There is no data indicating a causal link that pilots above age 65 introduce an unmitigable safety of flight risk. In a time when equal opportunity policies are in place to prevent workplace discrimination, this age limit codifies a practice of ageism in the airline industry that your bill would begin to alleviate.
AMAC thanks you, Senator Graham and Representative Nehls, and your cosponsors, for supporting highly
experienced senior American aviators, the airline industry that facilitates our ability to travel for work, leisure, and family support, and for reducing the prevalence of ageism, by introducing the “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act.”
Sincerely,
Bob Carlstrom
President
AMAC Action
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Supporting ending the discriminatory and arbitrary age 65 retirement is absolutely the proper course of action. A previous contributed stated that ATC controllers have to retire at age 56… It is my understanding that non-governmental contractors re-employ these retired ATC Controllers to do the same job?
If you think 65 is too old for pilots, Air traffic controllers are capped at age 56.