|
The
House bill, approved 63-0 by the Transportation Committee in
June, would reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five
years. Current authority expires Sept. 30.
The pilot age proposal faces opposition from unions and
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg who worry it could
complicate operations.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says it could cause
airline scheduling and pilot training issues and require
reopening pilot contracts. Even if approved, current
international rules would still prevent pilots older than 65
from flying in most countries outside the United States.
Buttigieg told Fox News Radio Friday that "I would want to see a
lot more data before we could feel comfortable with any kind of
change" to the pilot age rules.
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) supports the pilot age
hike saying it "allows retention of more experienced captains,
who can in turn fly alongside and mentor new first officers,
helping to stabilize attrition."
The House bill would also bar airlines from charging family
seating fees but would not impose new rules sought by President
Joe Biden to compensate passengers for delays. A draft Senate
version would boost runway safety, track high-altitude balloons
and double U.S. fines for aviation consumer violations.
Neither congressional bill sets minimum airline seat sizes.
The House Rules Committee on Monday is set to consider whether
to allow votes on amendments including one to prohibit air
carriers from reducing the size of passenger seats until the FAA
set minimum passenger seats. Others would mandate passenger
compensation for lengthy delays, bar Chinese carriers from
flying over Russia and prohibit government purchases of
Chinese-made drones.
The Senate bill has been held up by a dispute over whether to
change pilot training requirements that were imposed after the
February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo that
killed 50 people, the last major U.S. passenger airline fatal
crash.
Another unresolved issue is whether to expand the number of
longer flights allowed from Reagan Washington National Airport.
Delta Air Lines supports expanding flights, while United
Airlines, American Airlines and others oppose it.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Susan Heavey)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
