Flex Air Announces Initiative to Increase Access to Flight Training Through Aviation Industry’s First Income Share Agreement Program

SAN DIEGO, October 3, 2019 (Newswire.com) – ​​​​​​​​​Flex Air, a growth-stage aviation training startup, announced the launch of Via Careers, the first flight training program to offer Income Share Agreements (ISAs) as an alternative to student loans.

“Flex Air is a company built around serving our students in what historically has been a financially difficult journey to an airline career,” said Paul Wynns, Flex Air CEO. “The air transportation industry is in a period of unprecedented growth and opportunity. We think all skilled and dedicated student pilots should have access to that industry, regardless of credit history, co-signer availability, or other socio-economic factors.”

Income Share Agreements are an education financing model widely adopted by universities and vocational schools. Flex Air’s adoption of Income Share Agreements is a first in the aviation industry, which has encountered a severe air transport pilot shortage that is anticipated to last for decades. Flex Air has collaborated with Leif, the Income Share Agreement market leader in the U.S., to launch and manage an Income Share Agreement program for Via Careers students. Student pilots bound for airline careers are an especially good fit for ISAs due to the widespread wage transparency, predictable career paths, and seniority-based pay systems at all air carriers. Income Share Agreements remove the burden of upfront tuition cost for students, who, in exchange for their education, agree to pay a fixed percentage of their income for a fixed duration after graduation when they are earning income above a minimum threshold. The power of the model is the access it creates due to the clear alignment of interests between student pilot, flight school, and financial provider.

Demand for new pilots will exceed 200,000 in North America alone in the coming decades, according to recent estimates published by The Boeing Company. Flex Air estimates that this demand will drive more than $21bn in training revenue.

About Flex Air

Flex Air is a flight school with bases in Manhattan, KS, San Diego, CA, and Amarillo, TX. Flex Air’s Via Careers Program combines flight training, career placement services, and financing for aspiring airline pilots. The school’s flexible training approach results in training that is twice as fast and 17% less cost than industry averages. Flex Air’s graduates enjoy 100% placement rates into highly lucrative airline pilot careers, and the school’s graduation rate is 96%, far superior to the industry overall. Flex Air’s Via Careers program, and its Income Share Agreement student financing, are taking applicants for 2020 class dates. To apply, visit https://goflexair.com/via

About Leif

Leif increases access to quality education at an affordable cost. Leif partners with schools to design, manage, and arrange financing for Income Share Agreement programs. This form of education finance aligns the interest of the school with the interest of the student so everyone wins. Learn more at https://leif.org.