The FAA has recently relaxed many of the very strict medical qualifications that had been in place in the past. There are a number of pilots flying legally now with insulin dependent diabetes, bypass grafts, stents, and other medical problems that in the past would be virtually an automatic suspension of medical qualifications. They allow what's called a "special issuance" certificate in those situations, where the applicant needs to provide medical proof that their condition is stable and not associated with a high safety risk, then the case is reviewed by a Federal Flight Surgeon and if accepted the pilot is granted the priveleges.

The mandatory age 60 retirement was a little easier for pilots to accept when they believed that their pension plan would carry them after that. Many Delta pilots, for instance, found that Delta's financial woes resulted in losing half their pension plan, and they were still forced to retire.