Class Action Lawsuit Claims United Aviate Academy Misrepresented Duration, Quality of Pilot School Program

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A group of former United Aviate Academy (UAA) students have filed a proposed class action lawsuit claiming the flight school education they received was a far cry from the program they were promised.

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According to the 39-page lawsuit, UAA—which formerly operated as Westwind School of Aeronautics Phoenix—was advertised to prospective students as an expedited flight school program designed to provide the certifications necessary to become a commercial pilot within one year. The complaint says that United Airlines bought the Arizona flight training academy in February 2020 to support its goal of hiring over 10,000 pilots within the next decade.

The case accuses United Airlines and UAA of luring unsuspecting students into enrolling in what was, in reality, a “woefully” under-resourced program incapable of meeting these selling points.

The complaint contends that UAA struggled with high instructor turnover, which several plaintiffs say led to inconsistent instruction. Per the case, students were frequently reassigned trainers and sometimes went weeks or even months without instruction due to a lack of available staff members.

The academy also failed to provide enough aircraft for students, severely limiting flight opportunities, the suit alleges. One plaintiff claims he had to wait weeks for flight time, as there were around 20 aircraft for 500 students during his time at UAA. The man says he received only about 300 hours of flight time over two years.

“Due to the shortage of instructors and aircrafts, students in the program would not receive enough flight time to complete the program in one year, if at all,” the United Aviate Academy lawsuit asserts.

The plaintiffs allege UAA tricked them into paying tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and fees based on misrepresentations about the quality and duration of the flight program.

As the case tells it, the defendants knew they lacked the resources to accommodate and graduate students within one year but continued to enroll more students each month using the same promises.

The suit says that in May 2024, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) issued a warning to UAA, in part because the academy allegedly failed to demonstrate it was financially sound and exceeded an enrollment cap of 325 students—a limit 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 filing contends.

Around this time, UAA apparently began a campaign to expel students, with several plaintiffs claiming their expulsion was because they were taking too long to advance through the program, the suit shares. The academy did not consider the lack of consistent instruction or flight time in its decisions to expel the plaintiffs, the case alleges.

The suit notes that UAA was put on probation by the ACCSC due to the academy’s apparent failure to address the commission’s prior concerns and voluntarily withdrew accreditation starting January 15, 2025.

The lawsuit looks to represent all United Aviate Academy students who attended UAA at any time between December 2021 and January 15, 2025.

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