Former students sue United Aviate Academy

The lawsuit filed in February in Arizona Superior Court was moved to federal court at the request of United Airlines Inc., which invoked federal law in a March 19 notice of removal, transferring the case to the U.S. District Court in Arizona, where Judge Sharad H. Desai on March 24 gave United Airlines an April 9 deadline to file a response to the allegations, court records show.

"United does not concede through this Notice that Plaintiffs have stated a viable claim for relief or that United is liable to Plaintiffs or any putative class member in any respect," the airline's attorney wrote in the procedural document. The airline, which purchased Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix in February 2020 to provide ab initio training under the United Aviate Academy banner, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the case.

Two dozen former students are named as plaintiffs in the February lawsuit alleging that the United Aviate Academy promised students that they could complete a one-year program "and be hired as a pilot… knowing and/or having reason to know that they did not have the necessary resources to accommodate and graduate within one year the students they intended to enroll and/or did enroll and from whom they accepted payments."

One plaintiff, who began training in December 2021, alleges there were approximately 20 aircraft "and 500 students waiting for flight time," forcing the plaintiff to "wait weeks before he could get instruction."

The airline-owned flight school charged tuition ranging from $71,250 to $100,250, according to the lawsuit, and while "the inaugural class … appeared to run smoothly," the academy allegedly added more students than the school was able to teach. The one-year program promised a private pilot certificate in two months, an instrument rating in another two months, commercial single-engine certificate three months after that, and a flight instructor certificate in another two months. The final three months of the program would bring an instrument flight instructor certificate, as well as a commercial multiengine and a multiengine instructor rating.

Each plaintiff left (voluntarily or otherwise) prior to completion of the program, according to the lawsuit. Some had accepted scholarships from various aviation organizations, and most took out student loans, many borrowing "$100,000 or more" to pay for their training.

In May 2024, according to the lawsuit, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges warned United Aviate Academy about violation of accreditation standards, "in part, because UAA failed to maintain enrollment at or below 325 students, a cap intended to ensure sufficient resources for students. Instead of complying with the enrollment cap, UAA added students, going from 338 students to 382 in March of 2024."

The plaintiffs claim the school began to expel students around the time of the ACCSC warning letter, "targeting students who were delayed in completing the program and giving a variety of reasons to justify the expulsion." ACCSC placed the school on probation in August, the plaintiffs claim, and "ultimately, instead of complying with the ACCSC accreditation standards, UAA voluntarily withdrew effective January 15, 2025."

The United Aviate Academy website continues to list programs, costs, and other details consistent with the representations alleged and documents included in the lawsuit. The school listed 7 open jobs as of April 1, including an admissions coordinator, a maintenance technician, and a ground school proctor. There were no listed openings for flight instructors.

The plaintiffs asked the Arizona court to certify a class action on behalf of United Aviate Academy students who attended any time between December 2021 through January 15, 2025, a request that the federal judge will now consider.