United's Aviate Pilot Academy Admits First Class
United Airlines is spreading its wings into new territory with the opening of its own flight school and commitment to increasing diversity in the flight deck through a multi-million-dollar scholarship partnership with JPMorgan Chase, the company announced this week.
Both United and JPMorgan Chase, the airline’s credit card issuing partner are committing to matching $1.2 million in scholarships for a total endowment of $2.4 million dollars.
In launching United Aviate Academy, the Chicago-based airline becomes the first major U.S. airline to own its own flight school and said it is committed to ensuring that 50 percent of the pilot trainees are persons of color or women, both groups that are underrepresented among the ranks of pilots.
“Aviate allows us to open to door to an exciting and lucrative career opportunity that previously had not been open to women and people of color,” said Josh Earnest, United’s chief communications officer.
As a pilot shortage looms with many pilots across the industry reaching retirement age within the next five years, the goal is to make United Aviate Academy more inclusive and affordable through scholarships and a partnership with Sallie May for student loans.
“Over the next decade, United will train 5,000 pilots who will be guaranteed a job with United, after they complete the requirements of the Aviate program — and our plan is for half of them to be women and people of color,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “We’re excited that JPMorgan Chase has agreed to support our work to diversify our pilot ranks and create new opportunities for thousands of women and people of color who want to pursue a career in aviation.”
The United Aviate Academy’s first class of 20 pilots will begin their studies in the third quarter of 2021, with the class graduating in the first half of 2022, a United spokesperson said.
“Graduates will then have opportunities to further pursue their careers while working specifically within the Aviate ecosystem at partner universities, professional flight training organizations and United Express carriers,” he added.
The Aviate career path offers a graduates a direct career path to United by first completing 24 months and 2,000 hours with a United Express regional partner and being grandfathered in to United even if the regional partner no longer works with United at the end of the pilot’s contract, a United spokesperson said.
In order to identify and recruit talent, United is partnering with three historically Black colleges: Hampton University, Delaware State University, and Elizabeth City State University.
And it vows to work with key pilot organizations including the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Sisters of the Skies, Latino Pilots Association and Professional Asian Pilots Association to help in selecting the recipients of the United and JPMorgan Chase Scholarships and grants.