Senior Air Canada pilots allege age discrimination

A memorandum of agreement to reinstate two former Air Canada pilots falls short of the mark, says the Fly Past 60 Coalition, which advocates allowing pilots to work well into their 60s. George Vilven and Neil Kelly, who are part of the coalition, allege that they were unfairly forced to retire from Air Canada at age 60. Mr. Vilven, now 66, and Mr. Kelly, now 65, want to be reinstated with full seniority rights. But in an interview Monday, Mr. Vilven said the memorandum reached by the airline and the Air Canada Pilots Association is unsatisfactory. "The proposal is a farce. They want me to come back with drastically reduced benefits," he said. Raymond Hall, a lawyer and retired Air Canada pilot who heads the coalition, said Mr. Vilven and Mr. Kelly would be forced to work junior duties, amounting to age discrimination. For example, they would have to fly on domestic routes, instead of coveted international flights. AC.B (TSX) closed unchanged at $2.45.