Seven US unions urge senators not to raise pilot retirement age
A group of US unions has come out against raising the pilot retirement age from 65 currently – an idea that has been circulating in order to help alleviate the current pilot shortage. In a letter to US senators on 19 July, the seven unions deny a shortage even exists, calling it a “false narrative” created by airlines and an “excuse for some airlines to water down pilot training requirements and flight experience time”. The letter’s signatories are: Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), Association of Flight Attendants, CWA (AFA-CWA), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). They say that the proposal would have “many unintended consequences” for both passengers and junior pilots, and will not increase pilot supply as intended. “Increasing the pilot retirement age would force pilots over 65 to leave desirable international routes to fly domestic routes often operated by smaller aircraft that operate more frequently,” the seven unions write. “This requires retraining on different equipment, which increases costs to airlines and pilots who must spend additional time and resources to receive training. In addition, pilots over 65 would displace pilots on domestic-only routes, putting the future pilot pipeline at risk.” Airlines have been forced to cut their schedules and cancel flights this summer due to a dearth of qualified cockpit crew as the industry recovers more quickly than expected from Covid-19. ”The real problem is airline management’s poor planning for a pandemic recovery,” the letter says. “Airlines furloughed, displaced, and moved pilots out of their seats and off of their aircraft. As a result, airlines are now forced to needlessly retrain pilots, resulting in a training backlog of their own making.”<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-07-22/general/seven-us-unions-urge-senators-not-to-raise-pilot-retirement-age
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Seven US unions urge senators not to raise pilot retirement age
A group of US unions has come out against raising the pilot retirement age from 65 currently – an idea that has been circulating in order to help alleviate the current pilot shortage. In a letter to US senators on 19 July, the seven unions deny a shortage even exists, calling it a “false narrative” created by airlines and an “excuse for some airlines to water down pilot training requirements and flight experience time”. The letter’s signatories are: Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), Association of Flight Attendants, CWA (AFA-CWA), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). They say that the proposal would have “many unintended consequences” for both passengers and junior pilots, and will not increase pilot supply as intended. “Increasing the pilot retirement age would force pilots over 65 to leave desirable international routes to fly domestic routes often operated by smaller aircraft that operate more frequently,” the seven unions write. “This requires retraining on different equipment, which increases costs to airlines and pilots who must spend additional time and resources to receive training. In addition, pilots over 65 would displace pilots on domestic-only routes, putting the future pilot pipeline at risk.” Airlines have been forced to cut their schedules and cancel flights this summer due to a dearth of qualified cockpit crew as the industry recovers more quickly than expected from Covid-19. ”The real problem is airline management’s poor planning for a pandemic recovery,” the letter says. “Airlines furloughed, displaced, and moved pilots out of their seats and off of their aircraft. As a result, airlines are now forced to needlessly retrain pilots, resulting in a training backlog of their own making.”<br/>
