United Sets New Diversity Goal

United Airlines is accepting applications for its flight school, United Aviate Academy, with a goal to train 5,000 new pilots by 2030 in which at least half of them are women and people of color. Backed by scholarship commitments from United Airlines and JPMorgan Chase, United Aviate Academy will create opportunities for thousands of students, including women and people of color to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot.

In addition, for those United Aviate Academy students who may need additional financing, United has partnered with Sallie Mae to offer private student loans to ensure that no highly-qualified, highly-motivated, eligible applicants will be turned away solely because they can't afford to enroll. United Aviate Academy expects to enroll 100 students in 2021.

To break down the financial barriers that limited access to the airline pilot career path for generations of women and people of color, United has committed to fund $1.2 million in scholarships. The airline's credit card partner, JPMorgan Chase has also committed $1.2 million to support women and people of color who are accepted to United Aviate Academy.

United will leverage its long-standing relationships with a variety of organizations, including the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Sisters of the Skies, the Latino Pilots Association and the Professional Asian Pilots Association to help identify and steer highly qualified, diverse candidates to the United Aviate Academy. As key partners, these organizations will select the applicants to receive the scholarships and grants funded by United and JPMorgan Chase.

The industry needs to learn how to recruit, train and retain new pools of people. For more on this topic, read  Woefully Under-Represented.

United has also finalized partnerships with three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Delaware State University, Elizabeth City State University and Hampton University, to identify top talent and recruit them into the Aviate program. Through the partnership, students will have the opportunity to join Aviate and connect with dedicated ambassadors and coaches who will help guide them on the path to a United flight deck.

United's Aviate pilot development program provides those who aspire to a career as a United captain with a direct route to achieving that goal. Aviate is built to accommodate pilots of all experience levels – from those with zero hours to professional pilots already flying for one of its regional partners.

For instance, an aspiring aviator who joins the United Aviate Academy in Phoenix with no prior flying experience can become a licensed pilot within two months. Within a year, they can start earning income after receiving their commercial pilot license. Within five years, they can become a United pilot.

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. 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.

Aviate also provides support and coaching for pilots to develop into leaders who exemplify the professionalism, level of excellence and commitment to providing safe, caring, dependable and efficient service that United expects from its pilots.