"Senate Panel Rejects Proposal to Increase Pilot Retirement Age, Approves Boosting FAA Staffing"

The U.S. Senate committee voted to increase safety inspector and air traffic controller staffing but rejected raising the pilot retirement age to 67 from 65. The bill aims to address FAA oversight following recent incidents and includes provisions such as additional flights from Reagan Washington National Airport, prohibiting airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, and increasing civil penalties for airline consumer violations. The legislation also seeks to address the shortage of air traffic controllers and requires airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices.