HR people are really good at keeping it under the radar, so you'll probably never be able to build a winnable case if it happens to you.
Somewhat disagree. An associate of mine is an employment lawyer who won a Chambers award last year. She eats most 'so-called' HR experts for breakfast!
There is plenty of evidence to show that older candidates are a far better prospect as an employee , even in aviation. The reality of the situation is that if the CAA says you are good enough, the airlines may struggle to say otherwise and any selection process that appears to discriminate on age is on a sticky wicket! Time will tell how things will pan out but I am sure that it is only a case of time before the airlines get another battering in the courts and the reality is that they usually lose!