White House Signs Age 65 into Law
Bill includes ALPA Executive Board Recommendations

December 14, 2007 - In the late evening of December 13, President Bush signed into law a bill to raise the mandatory retirement age for U.S. pilots to 65. Days before, both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved H.R.4343. (To read Age 65: How it Works, please click here.)

“ALPA appreciates President Bush for swiftly signing this piece of legislation into law. With the inclusion of ALPA’s recommendations, it will protect the piloting profession in the face of a change that was certain to come, given the harmonization with the International Civil Aviation Organization standard,” Capt. John Prater said.

“I am pleased to report to our members that, pursuant to the decision by ALPA’s Executive Board to change ALPA’s policy on Age 60 in the face of legislation to change the mandatory retirement age that was rapidly moving through Congress, your union’s leaders exerted extensive influence on the legislation that is now law. The bill’s language to raise the upper age limit for airline pilots to 65 is consistent with ALPA’s Executive Board resolution and directive adopted on May 23. It represents months of hard work, both from fellow pilots and our government affairs department, which produced a tangible result.”