Accelerated academy · Mesa, AZ · Checked July 1, 2026
What CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)'s program costs
A full-time, integrated career program sold at a fixed price, not an hourly rate. Every figure below is CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)'s own published price, with the source and the date we read it. This is the published sticker, not a personalized quote.
Website cae.com
Published program price
$97.5K
American Airlines Cadet Academy (Commercial Pilot License)
The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling.
CAE publishes the CPL program price without stating how hours beyond it are billed. Its funding page says the cost of training "varies by program type and in some instances by geographic location." Confirm the overage policy before enrolling.
The academy's own published price. It does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum (only a qualifying degree does). Prices change. Confirm current figures with CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy).
The programs, with sources
PPL · IR · CPL · Multi · CFI · CFII · 180 hrs
USD price published on CAE's American Airlines Cadet Academy page. Quoted as 148 single-engine + 32 multi-engine flight hours plus 33.2 hours in a flight training device, up to 56 weeks. Financing available; contact the academy.
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CAE's US ab-initio cadet campus is at Falcon Field (FFZ), Mesa, AZ. Part 141, zero to CFI/CFII. Does not reduce the 1,500-hour airline minimum.
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Compare the pathsCommon questions about CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)
- How much does CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy) cost?
- CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy) publishes $97,468 for its American Airlines Cadet Academy (Commercial Pilot License), as listed on the academy's own pricing page (July 2026). That is the published sticker for the program, not a personalized quote, and it is what the academy asks before the fees the sticker excludes.
- What is included in CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)'s program price?
- CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)'s published programs cover Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine (AMEL), Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor. The headline track plans for about 180 flight hours. The academy states about 13 months to finish. On what it excludes, the academy states: USD price published on CAE's American Airlines Cadet Academy page. Quoted as 148 single-engine + 32 multi-engine flight hours plus 33.2 hours in a flight training device, up to 56 weeks. Financing available; contact the academy.
- What happens if you need more hours than CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)'s program includes?
- The academy does not publish how hours beyond the estimate are billed. Confirm before enrolling. CAE publishes the CPL program price without stating how hours beyond it are billed. Its funding page says the cost of training "varies by program type and in some instances by geographic location." Confirm the overage policy before enrolling. This is the question worth asking hardest at any accelerated academy, because the published price and the price a student who flies over the plan actually pays are two different numbers.
- Does going to CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy) lower the 1,500-hour airline requirement?
- No. An accelerated academy does not reduce the 1,500-hour ATP minimum. Only a qualifying aviation degree does, under 14 CFR 61.160, which lowers it to 1,000 hours for a bachelor's or 1,250 for an associate's. What an academy sells is speed and a fixed price to the commercial certificate and instructor ratings, not a shortcut to the airlines. Most graduates then instruct to build the remaining hours.
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Figures are CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy)'s own published program prices, shown with the date we read them. They are not a personalized quote, and a student's actual cost will differ with location premiums, the fees the sticker excludes, and pace. Published prices generally assume the program's planned hours; flight training often runs over the FAA minimums, and how extra hours are billed varies by academy (some hold a truly fixed cost, others charge an hourly rate for additional time). Confirm the overage policy with the academy. An accelerated academy does not lower the 1,500-hour airline minimum; only a qualifying degree does, under 14 CFR 61.160. PilotBound is not affiliated with CAE (American Airlines Cadet Academy). Disclaimer & removal policy.
Primary sources: cae.com