These are some of the national equal opportunity employment laws that impact JetBlue's hiring practices, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1866. These laws help shape the decision making process at JetBlue and other major American corporations. Compliance is mandatory and the failure to do so can lead to fines, embarrassment to the company, and even criminal charges being filed in some cases. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 was created to protect workers over the age of forty. It make it ill advisable to ask a potential employee about the age of their grandchildren or any question about their family in an attempt to reveal the individuals age. It is illegal based on this law for JetBlue to make hiring, firing and other employment related decisions based on the age of the person. An exception to this rule would be if JetBlue could prove that a pilot at age 65 was no longer fit to be a pilot, then JetBlue in conjunction with the FAA could force the pilot to retire and not be held to the standards contained in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. JetBlue could ask a potential hire if they are over the age of eighteen as well without an issue.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended by the Equal Employment Act of 1972 states that it is illegal to discriminate in all employment activities with regard to the individuals religion, race, color, national origin and sex. The exception to this law is companies are allowed to enforce occupational qualifications, seniority and merit systems, testing and educational requirements. This means that JetBlue can refuse to hire an Asian pilot if he does not have the necessary qualifications to be a pilot. That would not be a Title VII violation. If JetBlue had a standing policy of not hiring Asians at all,then that would be a Title VII violation.