July 23, 2026. Media contact: media@raa.org
Washington, D.C. – The Regional Airline Association strongly supports the introduction of the WINGS Act by Representatives Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), and Zach Nunn (R-IA). RAA worked closely with lawmakers to develop the legislation.
Flight training can add more than $100,000 to the cost of a degree, but federal student aid remains capped at ordinary undergraduate levels. The WINGS Act would recognize eligible professional pilot programs as professional-degree programs, better reflecting the cost of the education, training, and licensure required for hire.
“Flight education is inherently expensive, and current federal loan limits leave students covering $80,000 or more out of pocket. This gap puts the career out of reach for too many students,” said Regional Airline Association President and CEO Faye Malarkey Black. “The WINGS Act would help close that financing gap and provide more students access to transformative pilot careers. We thank Representatives Beatty, Stefanik, Wilson, and Nunn for their leadership and partnership and look forward to working with them to advance the bill through Congress.”
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) provides a unified voice of advocacy for North American regional airlines aimed at promoting a safe, reliable, and strong regional airline industry. RAA serves as an important support network connecting regional airlines and industry business partners. Regional airlines operate 32% of U.S. scheduled passenger flights and provide the only source of scheduled air service to 64% of the nation’s airports. Regional airlines provide more than 70% of the air service in West Virginia (92%), Alaska (85%), North Dakota (80%), Kansas (75%), Arkansas (75%), Alabama (75%), and Vermont (74%). Regional airlines provide more than half of the air service in Mississippi (68%), South Dakota (68%), Maine (67%), Idaho (67%), Wyoming (66%), New Hampshire (63%), Montana (63%), Wisconsin (53%), Iowa (53%), Virginia (52%), Kentucky (51%), and Indiana (51%).