By the time Triston Sanderson was 25 years old he was a U.S. Army veteran, a graduate of the University of Mississippi and working as an accountant in Dallas. But growing up, Sanderson dreamed of piloting planes, not crunching numbers, so he jumped at an opportunity to take part in an American Airli nes program that promised expedited flight training and the high likelihood of an airline job. But after moving in 2022 to join the American Airlines Cadet Academy at San Diego’s Coast Flight Training, Sanderson alleges that he was subjected to racial discrimination in a program that failed to deliver on its lofty promises and left him deep in debt without the licensing and certifications that were advertised. On Tuesday, Sanderson and 17 other student pilots filed a lawsuit in San Diego federal court, accusing American Airlines and Coast Flight Training of fraudulently deceiving students of color into joining a “substandard” cadet program that left them financially devastated. The suit, which seeks at least $36 million in damages, alleged that the American Airlines Cadet Academy took significantly longer than advertised to complete, did not provide the resources, facilities and staff that were advertised, did not provide one-on-one mentoring with commercial pilots as promised and was racially biased against Black students and others of color. “The genesis of this program was a very laudable goal of diversifying the pilot profession, and we support that goal wholeheartedly, we encourage such efforts,” Saba Bireda, an attorney from the firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight that is representing the plaintiffs, told the Union-Tribune. “But the defendants, under the guise of supporting diversity in the aviation field, targeted people of color with this predatory scheme. … It really has left many of their lives and their careers in shambles.” American Airlines said in a statement that it believes the accusations are meritless. “To run the best airline in the world, we need the best and brightest people — and the American Airlines Cadet Academy is an important part of that mission,” the company said. “Through this program, we have sought to expand the pipeline of talented cadets from all over the country, many of whom now enjoy rewarding careers at American Airlines. We take seriously the concerns raised by this group of former cadets, but we believe the allegations are without merit.” Coast Flight Training, which is based at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Kearny Mesa and also has two locations in Texas, did not respond Tuesday to a message seeking comment. The lawsuit alleged more than a dozen causes of action, including race-based civil rights violations and several types of fraud by the airline and flight school. The suit also alleged negligent misrepresentation and violations of multiple California laws, including unfair competition and false advertising laws. American Airlines launched its cadet academy in 2018, advertising it as a “first-of-its-kind program designed to help future aviators receive the training, financing and mentoring opportunities they need to fly for the world’s largest airline,” according to the lawsuit and American Airlines’ website. The suit alleged that the airline all but guaranteed academy graduates jobs. “American Airlines expects the vast majority of participants to become employed as flight instructors, and eventually, first officers,” the airline’s website allegedly read from 2018 to 2023, according to the lawsuit. Sanderson, now 30, first applied in 2020 for the academy, which was advertised as a one-year expedited program whose costs would be capped around $110,000, according to the lawsuit. He was eventually accepted into the academy and enrolled in 2022 at Coast Flight Training in San Diego, which is one of the flight schools that partnered with the airline as part of the academy. Sanderson said academy representatives assured him and others that they “would make perfect pilots for American” in part because they’d been carefully selected during a competitive application process. “They made it seem so easy and so promising,” Sanderson told the Union-Tribune. “I believed that I was on the way to making my dream a reality.” In this undated photo, Triston Sanderson stands in front of one of Coast Flight Training's planes while attending the American Airlines Cadet Academy. (Courtesy of Triston Sanderson via Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight law firm) The lawsuit alleged that Sanderson and the other aspiring pilots each left steady jobs in other fields, relocated their lives and took out loans ranging from $52,000 to $120,000 under the belief they’d be receiving top-quality training and a clear path toward a high annual income. “In reality, completing the program required a significantly longer commitment than the 12 months promised by Defendants at a significantly greater cost than the amount advertised,” the lawsuit alleged. “Plaintiffs’ training was hampered by high turnover and inconsistency among instructors and too few functional aircraft for all cadets to train consistently.” The suit alleged that Sanderson, who is Black, and other cadets of color were “subjected … to blatant race discrimination and a hostile environment.” Sanderson said he received corrective actions that his White peers did not when they made the same minor mistakes. Sanderson was removed from the academy in late 2023, eventually enrolled in another flight school and has since earned many of the same licenses promised by the academy, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleged that he and the other plaintiffs have suffered severe economic losses, incurred substantial debt and sustained significant emotional distress as a result of the academy. ...read more read less