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Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act

Last action · April 30, 2026: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.Sponsors: Lindsey Graham and 3 others

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill proposes raising the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67. It also allows certain air carriers to set a voluntary retirement age of 70 for specific types of operations, provided they notify the Federal Aviation Administration.

Why it matters

This bill would change the legal employment age limit for commercial pilots, potentially increasing the number of active pilots and impacting labor agreements and benefit plans for air carriers.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Commercial Pilots

The bill changes the age at which they are legally permitted to work and impacts their seniority and benefit plans.

Directly affected

Air Carriers

The bill provides the option to set a retirement age of 70 for certain operations and requires them to negotiate labor agreement changes.

Directly affected

Federal Aviation Administration

The agency is responsible for receiving notices of age elections and maintaining safety standards.

Key Facts

  • Raises the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots in multicrew operations to 67 years of age.
  • Allows air carriers to set a voluntary retirement age of 70 for specific operations by providing written notice to the FAA.
  • Elections to set a retirement age of 70 take effect one year after notice is delivered and cannot be terminated by the carrier.
  • Applies to operations under part 121 of title 14 CFR, excluding certain international airspace operations.
Show all 11 facts
  • Applies to specific part 135 and subpart K operations that performed at least 75,000 turbojet operations in 2019 or later.
  • Prohibits retroactive application: pilots who turned 65 before the enactment date cannot serve unless they were already employed or are rehired without prior seniority credit.
  • Protects air carriers from legal liability for actions taken in compliance with this new age standard.
  • Requires amendments to labor agreements or benefit plans to be negotiated between air carriers and pilot bargaining representatives.
  • Maintains existing medical standards unless the FAA determines new data requires stricter or more frequent examinations based on age.
  • Requires pilots over 60 to hold a first-class medical certificate, which expires every 6 months.
  • Mandates that air carriers continue using FAA-approved pilot training and qualification programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this bill force all pilots to work until 67?
No, it raises the maximum age at which a pilot is legally permitted to serve, but does not mandate that they continue working.
Can an airline force me to retire at 70?
Yes, under this bill, air carriers conducting specific operations may elect to implement a mandatory retirement age of 70 by notifying the FAA.
Will pilots over 65 have to undergo more frequent medical exams?
The bill states that pilots will not be subject to different or more frequent medical exams based on age unless the FAA determines it is necessary for safety based on new data.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

2 actions
  1. Apr 30, 2026SenateCommittee
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  2. Apr 30, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced in Senate

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

“P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology”

Senate LDAMatched on title words onlyView on LDA.gov →

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Shift in Retirement Age Standards

The bill moves from a uniform federal retirement age to a hybrid model where carriers can opt into a higher age limit for specific operations.

Connected Entities

Lindsey Graham, Mark Kelly, Federal Aviation Administration
PersonLindsey Graham“Senator who introduced the bill”Map →
PersonMark Kelly“Senator who co-sponsored the bill”Map →
OrganizationFederal Aviation Administration“Regulatory body responsible for aviation safety and pilot standards”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment20
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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