Hot OFF the Presses
March 11, 2006: “…a change to the upper age limit has been agreed by the ICAO Council earlier today, as per the proposal. The debate lasted the whole of the morning and the voting was 27 in favour, four against (USA, France, Columbia and Pakistan) and four abstentions (Canada, China, Mozambique and Cameroon).”
The US has legislation pending that would raise the US age from 60 to 65. The biggest unions are fighting it (American Air pilots and ALPA) although ALPA seems to be fractured on it. The American FAA bureaucrats are opposing it too.
There are a few groups leading the charge to change it: the pilots of Southwest Airlines, a group that calls itself APAAD (Airline Pilots Aginst Age Discrimination) and another called the PPF (Professional Pilots Federation).
The US was the leader in making retirement 60 (back in the late 50s). Now they are tail-end-Charlies in changing it to something higher.