Flight path denied: Former cadets sue American Airlines over racial discrimination, fraud

SAN DIEGO (CN) — A group of 18 former flight cadets accused American Airlines of racial discrimination and fraud after they say that the airline lured them into a training program under false pretenses.

In their complaint, filed in San Diego federal court, the plaintiffs write that the American Airlines Cadet Academy was marketed to non-white candidates as a fast and affordable pathway to a career as an airline pilot and to diversify the industry, but instead left cadets in debt without having completed the program. They are asking for $36 million in damages.

American Airlines Federal Credit Union and Coast Flight Training are also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs say that they enrolled in the American Airlines Cadet Academy, which the airline launched in 2018, to pursue what they describe as a life-changing and promising career.

“However, they found that, instead of offering a pathway to a prestigious career as a pilot, the AACA barely resembled the comprehensive, state-of-the-art, 12-month program advertised on American’s and Coast’s slick websites and brochures,” they write. “To attract potential cadets like the plaintiffs, defendants unleashed a fraudulent, deceptive, and discriminatory campaign that deliberately targeted people of color — who are historically and presently disproportionately underrepresented in the aviation field.”

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 90% of all aircraft pilots and flight engineers are white.

The plaintiffs accuse the airline in the suit filed Tuesday of “reverse redlining,” where people of color are deliberately included, rather than excluded, into predatory schemes. About half of the students in each cadet cohort were not white, the plaintiffs write.

“Defendants did not conduct their predatory and fraudulent scheme on an equal opportunity basis,” the plaintiffs write. “Instead, defendants engaged in racial discrimination by intentionally targeting and preying on non-white students seeking to break into a white-dominated industry.”

The plaintiffs also write that the predominantly white flight staff at Coast made racially charged comments about the non-white students in the program and fostered a hostile learning environment, which they say American Airlines knew about.

According to the plaintiffs, fourteen of the plaintiffs were terminated from the program for pretextual reasons, and several others were forced to resign.

“Plaintiffs enrolled in the AACA at Coast to pursue their dreams of becoming fully licensed commercial pilots for the world’s largest airline,” the plaintiffs write. “Instead of being a vehicle to diversify the pilot profession, the AACA proved to be a nightmare where plaintiffs, like other non-white cadets, experienced overt race discrimination and constant unfulfilled promises.”

The plaintiffs also claim each of them had to spend more time and money on the program than American Airlines promised.

They say the program promised its cadets the potential to earn $135,000 to $235,000 or more each upon completion of the program. According to the plaintiffs, the program’s cost was capped at $120,000.

Pilots must accumulate 1,500 flight hours before qualifying to work as an airline pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. This process typically takes between two-and-a-half to four years, by most accounts.

Each plaintiff says they took a loan from the American Airlines Federal Credit Union, ranging between $52,000 to $120,000 to fund their training. Additionally, each plaintiff relocated to be closer to the Coast Flight Training schools located in San Diego, Dallas and San Marcos, Texas.

In a statement to Courthouse News, American Airlines said that the program has sought to expand the pipeline of cadets across the country, many of whom are now pilots with the airline.

“We are committed to providing a positive and welcoming experience to everyone who seeks to join our company,” the airline wrote. “We take seriously the concerns raised by this group of former cadets, but we believe the allegations are without merit.”