US Senate agrees to allow older pilots

Washington: Commercial airline pilots who want to keep flying beyond age 60 got some encouragement this week when the Senate agreed to allow them to work until age 65.
A provision raising the mandatory retirement age was tucked into the transportation appropriations bill approved overwhelmingly Wednesday by the Senate. The Federal Aviation Administration already is considering a rule that would have the same effect, but the Senate legislation, if enacted, would take effect immediately.
The country is “losing a number of experienced pilots every day due to the outdated FAA Age 60 rule,” co-sponsor Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said in a statement. “It is important we change the rule as soon as possible to make sure our most senior and seasoned pilots remain in the system.”
But the fate of the Senate provision is far from certain. It is part of an appropriations bill that the White House has promised to veto for exceeding President Bush’s spending limit for domestic programs. While the Senate passed the transportation bill by a veto-proof majority of 88-7, the House passed its version in July by 268-153, short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. The process of overriding the veto could drag out the final legislation for weeks or months.
Even if a veto could be overcome, there is no guarantee that House and Senate negotiators, who must iron out any difference between their versions of the bill, would include the retirement provision in the final transportation legislation. Still, the Senate’s willingness to include the provision shows it has momentum.
If the retirement age change fails to survive in the transportation spending bill, it could still become law as part of a separate FAA reauthorization bill, he said. The current authorization expires Sept. 30, so Congress will soon be focusing on that legislation.
The move to lengthen careers until 65 is vigorously supported by pilots whose commercial airlines have gone bankrupt and canceled their pension plans. They want to keep working to earn more money to make up for lost pensions.
13/09/07 Marilyn Geewax/Cox News Service/Atlanta Journal Constitution, USA