https://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/articles/news/us-congress-pilot-retirement-age-stays-the-same.htmlCongress kept the retirement age for pilots, but a new bill adds a lot of safety regulations.
Although sharp partisanship frequently divides the United States, the US Congress fortunately agrees on the necessity of safe air travel for the country. After several near-misses on the runway and public anxiety over the trials and tribulations of Boeing, the US Senate and House of Representatives have said that they reached a deal on a new bill for flight safety.
Here is a quick breakdown of several aspects of the prospective five-year deal with a budget of $105 billion:
Increase number of air traffic controllers.
Increase number of inspectors, engineers, and technical specialists at the FAA.
Instruct the FAA to use new methods of surface technology to avert runway collisions.
Maintain pilot retirement age at 65.
Reauthorize the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for the next five years.
Require airplanes to have 25-hour cockpit recording devices.
Raise maximum civil penalty for consumer violations on airlines from $25,000 to $75,000.
The Transportation Department must create a dashboard showing the minimum seat sizes for each US airline, as minimum seat standards remain set by the FAA.
The mandatory pilot retirement age turned out to be one of the more contentious issues. The House of Representatives initially voted to raise the pilot retirement age to 67, but the Senate Commerce Committee voted to reject that increase.
The FAA asked Congress not to raise that age until they could study the potential effects. Further increases are opposed by 30 pilot labor unions. Supporters of raising the age include some airlines that believe there is a “pilot shortage” that is harming their ability to hire pilots at the salary level they wish to pay.
Congress last raised the retirement age from 60 to 65 in 2007.
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