I am deeply disappointed by Aerostar Training Services' lack of professionalism and their failure to meet their commitments.
On June 21st, I enrolled in Aerostar Training Services' flight school with the expectation of completing the ATP/CTP B737 combo upgrade course within 7-9 days, as promised. The course cost was $9,500. However, from the first day of the ground school, they were unable to provide me with any simulator schedule. I received my schedule only on 10/26, two days after completing my ground school, stating that my first simulator session would be on 6/29 and the simulator check-ride on 7/6. At this point, it was already obvious that I wouldn't finish my training within the declared dates.
On July 2nd, the simulator malfunctioned, resulting in an unexpected delay in my training that has lasted for over a week. Moreover, they were unable to provide adequate information about the repair time, so I could plan my return to Russia, even though I called them every day.
I requested compensation for the unexpected expenses incurred due to the simulator malfunction and urged them to prioritize scheduling my remaining training hours once the simulator was operational.
Despite their assurance of prompt attention, I received no response from the company. When the simulator was eventually fixed, they were able to provide ATP/CTP part of the training and schedule my check ride for the 15th of July. However, it was canceled on the evening of the 14th of July without providing a satisfactory explanation or alternative solution.
Their subsequent email cited a last-minute personal emergency involving their examiner, leading to the inability to fulfill his responsibilities. They provided potential dates for rescheduling the check ride (7/28-8/22), which were unacceptable for me due to my job with an airline. They offered no compensation or resolution for the previous delays and financial losses I experienced.
After receiving no response to my request to schedule the check ride earlier, I was forced to return to Russia. For approximately two months, I sent them letters inquiring about the availability of check airmen in the near future so I could schedule my job vacation for the check, but I received no response.
Finally, on the 9th of September, they were able to provide me with a check ride date of 10/12. However, when I arrived, the local instructor assumed that I needed additional training due to the long break after my July training, and the check ride was rescheduled for 6:30 AM on 10/13. When I arrived at the simulator in the morning, I waited there for an hour only to find out that they had canceled my exam for mysterious reasons, without even notifying me. Later, I was told that they failed to send my documents to the FAA in order to conduct my check on 10/13. They then rescheduled my exam for 10/17.
On 10/15, I received information that my check was again rescheduled for 10/18 because scheduling manager David, for some reason, decided to prioritize other individuals who had enrolled after me with an October start date for training. When I asked him why this was the case, he simply stated that "it was important for them" and that he was unable to switch our positions because he had already sent the check ride date information to the FAA. At 8:30 AM on 10/17, I received a call from another Aerostar representative asking where I was and informing me that the examiner was looking for me. I had to rush to the training center to avoid missing my check ride. As I later discovered, scheduling manager David had attempted to postpone my exam but failed because someone had already filed documents with the FAA for a check ride date of 10/17.
Instead of the declared 9 days, it took 4 months to receive my ATP certificate, costing me an additional $5,000 in expenses on airline tickets and accommodation. read more