Former student is seeking around $500,000 in damages.
A United Aviate Academy aircraft (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ryan Ewing)
A former student at United Aviate Academy has filed a lawsuit against the flight school, alleging fraud and significant delays in training that prevented program completion within the advertised time frame.
This individual lawsuit follows a proposed class action filed earlier this year by multiple former students claiming the academy misrepresented both the quality and duration of its pilot training program.
United Airlines purchased Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix in February 2020, rebranding it as United Aviate Academy (UAA) to support the carrier’s goal of hiring more than 10,000 pilots within the next decade. The academy marketed itself as an expedited flight school program designed to provide all necessary certifications to become a commercial pilot within one year.
According to court documents, the program was structured to deliver seven training components within specific time frames: private pilot training (two months), instrument rating (two months), commercial single-engine initial (three months), commercial multiengine add-on (one month), certified flight instructor (two months), certified flight instructor-instrument (one month), and multiengine flight instructor (one month).
Carrie Lynne Thompson, the plaintiff in the recently refiled case, claims she enrolled in October 2022 after receiving assurances that the UAA program could be completed in 12 months. In her complaint, Thompson alleges this timeline was promoted across multiple channels, including “marketing materials, billboards, commercials, print advertisements, online references, the leave of absence agreement, the student agreement, and press releases.”
Her initial complaint was first filed on July 15, 2024. After some back and forth in the court docket, Thompson filed an amended complaint on April 12.
Thompson’s lawsuit details how students were allegedly prohibited from working while attending the academy, forcing many to rely on student loans and savings to fund their education based on the promised accelerated timeline.
“It took me nine months to receive my private pilot license [PPL], which was, according to the marketing materials, student agreement, website for the academy, and course catalog provided by both the academy and United Airlines, supposed to take two,” Thompson stated in her amended complaint.
Thompson is seeking $500,000 in damages, aiming to recover the losses she alleges were incurred due to the academy’s mismanagement and misleading promises. Her lawsuit contends that the financial strain imposed by the extended duration of the program, combined with lost income and accrued debts, warrants this compensation.
United Aviate Academy agreed to acquire five Diamond DA42-VI piston twin trainers. (Photo: Diamond Aircraft)
The complaint also requests punitive damages, reflecting the emotional and financial impact that the academy’s purported failures have had on her and potentially on other students facing similar circumstances.
The lawsuit further contends that these operational issues had severe financial consequences for students who invested tens of thousands of dollars based on allegedly misleading information. Thompson claims she lost approximately $100,000 in income during her time away from work, in addition to incurring over $49,000 in academy fees and approximately $25,000 in relocation expenses.
According to Thompson’s filing, “no student who began with [zero] flight hours from my class finished in fewer than 18 months,” despite the advertised 12-month timeline. The complaint further alleges that of the entire student body, only three students were able to complete the program within the promised time frame.
The other lawsuit—which was filed in March—includes similar allegations from multiple former students, including claims that some received only about 300 hours of flight time over two years, significantly less than expected.
Thompson’s complaint describes how students were allegedly told to “bear with us, we’re a new school and working out the kinks” when they raised concerns about delays. The lawsuit claims students who fell behind schedule—allegedly due to the academy’s operational issues—were sometimes expelled for taking too long to advance through the program.
The filing also references what Thompson describes as a “purely for show” graduation ceremony on January 25, 2023, where “only one student had actually finished all of their ratings,” despite the presence of United CEO Scott Kirby.
Thompson resigned from the academy in July 2023 “due to the lack of consistent training and inability to fund the much longer than expected time frame without work,” according to her complaint. She alleges that despite requesting to return to her previous position as a flight attendant while maintaining her place at the academy, this request was denied by its leadership.
Thompson, 46, stated that the prolonged training period severely disrupted her career trajectory, as the mandatory time commitment at UAA delayed her entry into a professional piloting career at an age when opportunities might become more limited. The mandatory retirement age for airline pilots in the U.S. is 65.
Thompson’s complaint alleges violations of the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act, promissory estoppel/detrimental reliance, and false advertisement.
Court records show that United Airlines has already filed a motion to strike the amended complaint in Thompson’s case, claiming procedural issues with the filing.
On May 1, a federal district court judge ruled in favor of the airline’s motion to strike Thompson’s second amended complaint, citing procedural discrepancies. The court noted that the amended complaint introduced new allegations and causes of action that differed from those previously approved, thereby deeming it unauthorized. Thompson could still contest the court’s order.
Per court records, she is representing herself in this matter.
United Airlines did not directly comment on the March class-action lawsuit, only stating to the Associated Press that the carrier has “the highest confidence in the rigorous curriculum and flight training program provided at United Aviate Academy and are proud of the school’s hundreds of graduates.”
Editor’s Note: This story first appeared on FlyingMag.com.
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