The Airline Academy
The Making of Airline-Ready Candidates

William F. Stephens, CEO

Founded in 1972 as an FAA-certified flight training school, The Airline Academy evolved into an aviation training provider with students from more than 60 countries and all 50 states. It was established by a retired U.S. Airways pilot who had been the airline’s all-time senior pilot, with more than 45,000 flight hours. He also served as vice president of the Airline Pilots Association and chairman of the Aviation Safety Board and was a prominent member of President Richard Nixon’s Airline Advisory Board.

The academy later added an FAA Part 65 dispatcher course and customer service training before introducing flight attendant training, encouraged by airline recruiters hiring its pilots in the 1990s. The academy identified hundreds of travel and tourism schools but no comparable airline-specific option. According to The Airline Academy, airlines receive thousands of applications monthly, yet only about 10 percent receive interviews. The academy also reports that roughly 25 percent of those interviewed and hired are dismissed or drop out during mandated FAA training.

To better prepare students for training, the academy developed a two-phase program. Students first complete online theory and fundamentals at their own pace. Learning this material at home reduces training costs and time away from home. They then complete hands-on training at JetBlue University in Orlando, where the Airline Academy is in its 20th year of a training contract, using multimillion-dollar motion simulators. The academy says it is the only flight attendant training school in the country with a training contract with an FAA-certified Part 121 airline.

The training gives graduates greater familiarity with the airline hiring and training process. All Airline Academy graduates receive an opportunity to interview during a resident class. The academy reports that between half and two-thirds receive conditional job offers during the class, while another 25 percent are hired in the following months by airlines that were not represented in the resident class.

“We want our students to get the very best training available to ensure their success with the airlines,” says William F. Stephens, CEO.

Training for Safety, Quality and Success

The academy also reports a 95 percent pass rate for graduates in airline-required in-house training, compared with 75 percent for candidates from other sources. More than 60 airlines have hired academy graduates. This approach begins with selective enrollment, as applicants are screened against criteria the academy says reflect airline hiring requirements, including age, education, enunciation, criminal history and visible tattoos.

The focus continues through practical training. Students experience turbulence, smoke-filled cabins, door and slide deployment, evacuations, wet and dry ditching, firefighting and raft deployment in a pool. The academy emphasizes safety alongside service because applicants can underestimate the rigor of the role. It has invested more than USD 2 million in hands-on training with three airlines.

The same focus on quality shapes the academy’s approach to enrollment. Resident classes are limited to 40 students, the maximum capacity JetBlue can accommodate. Classes often fill months in advance and typically have a waiting list. For the academy, limiting enrollment is a deliberate choice that prioritizes individualized training over volume.