Ageist...never!
My own experience is that I meet the hours requirement (600 hours multicrew Ops. on a commercial, fast twin turboprop weighing over 10 tonnes. TT over 2000 hours). Yet I was not invited for interview...but my more glamourous and younger colleague with 500 multicrew and 700 total was. Maybe I didnt fit the young and thrusting profile.
For information: From November 2007 Age Discrimination will be illegal....not that I think for a moment that I was discriminated against for being an older fart.