Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act

Key Points

• This bill raises the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67, allowing experienced pilots to keep flying for major airlines two extra years under federal law.
• For certain large charter and fractional ownership operators (those with at least 75,000 turbojet operations in 2019 or later), air carriers can voluntarily set a retirement age cap of up to 70. Once an airline makes that choice, it cannot reverse it.
• Pilots who already retired before the law takes effect cannot simply return and reclaim their old seniority. They can be rehired, but only as new employees without credit for prior service under existing labor agreements.
• To protect safety, any pilot over 60 must hold a first-class medical certificate that expires every six months. The FAA cannot impose extra medical tests on older pilots unless new data shows they are needed.
• The bill was introduced by Senators Graham and Kelly and has been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Any changes to pilot labor agreements needed to comply with the new rules must be negotiated between airlines and pilot unions.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

Related Bills

No related bills have been identified yet.