Was the 65 XAA limit ever tested under EU age discrimination regs? There are some airlines whose contracts are automatically terminated at 60 or even less. It is not age discrimination, even under the 65 ATPL reg', because the employment contract you signed had an age limit in it. Having said that, some mates in the nationals, who were force retired between 55 & 60, had pensions higher than my full time salary at 62.
What always confused me was why, at say 57 with pockets brimming, they sought out the Asian airlines to continue having an aluminium tube strapped to your bum for 14 hours and 10 hours time change. My wife always said it was because of 3 x alimony. Perhaps she's correct. Sad.
But I wonder if there is a claim that forced retirement from a low or non pension employment, even dubious self-employment, before government old age pension age is penalising for no good reason. Ground based guys can continue until government pension age, it's just pilots. Or what about HGV drivers, train drivers, ship's captains etc. What rules do comparable professions operate under, including surgeons? But as I've said, most other professions of equal responsibility, education, income etc. will have the personnel enrolled in decent company pensions. I flew with 9 airlines in 4 different countries for 32 years and achieved a company pension in only one of them for 7 years. There will be others, and to create a gap in their retirement annual income of a couple of years seems harsh.
If governments change rules to save money which they and friends have frittered away, without considering all the victims, is not responsible. I guess it was because the national pilots' unions were centred egotistically at the unaffected national airlines and did not oppose the matter.
However, I'm not advocating raising the piloting age limit to match the pension age, rather advocating that certain professions that have a mandatory retirement age are not penalised without any options. Do civil servants still get their pension at 60? Well then, if so, discretionary deviations are possible.
Last edited by RAT 5; 28th Jan 2018 at 21:07.