P.M. BRIEFING : Airline Retirement Rule Upheld
The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has upheld a 30-year-old Federal Aviation Administration rule that forces commercial airline pilots to retire at age 60.
The three-judge panel voted 2 to 1 Wednesday against a group of airline pilots who sought to have the rule overturned.
But all three judges voiced reservations about the ruling. The senior judge, Hubert L. Will, wrote a strongly worded dissent. The FAA established the retirement rule in 1960 and has argued consistently that allowing pilots to fly beyond age 60 would be dangerous.
Critics say pilots in their 60s have experience that benefits passengers, and cite the 1989 crash of a United Airlines jetliner in Sioux City, Iowa, to back their case. A 57-year-old pilot landed a jet, despite a crippled hydraulic system.
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