Private-equity Buy Leads to Layoffs at Jepp ForeFlight

A number of employees of Jeppesen ForeFlight were laid off on Wednesday, according to former employees posting on social media sites LinkedIn and Reddit. Jeppesen ForeFlight is the new name for the company after private-equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired Boeing’s Digital Aviation Solutions business last November for $10.55 billion.

One Reddit comment, under the subhead “ForeFlight laid off 40-50% of its employees yesterday," said: “With no warning we were all fired yesterday morning via email. I would expect worsening service over the coming weeks and months, as many engineering teams who supported various features were simply removed with no opportunity for knowledge transfer.”

The layoffs came shortly after ForeFlight made a change to its popular flight instructor discount program, which previously gave members of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators and the National Association of Flight Instructors 33% off the ForeFlight subscription price. The new discount is 15%, although instructors can earn up to 100% discounts by referring students to ForeFlight. Online commenters complained that this was a result of the Thoma Bravo acquisition.

The claim that 40% to 50% of employees were laid off isn’t accurate, according to a company statement provided to AIN: “Jeppesen ForeFlight made changes to streamline our operating model, which will support continued investment in product innovation and customer experience.”

“While we are not sharing specific numbers, the current percentages being relayed through media are misleading and overstated. We are supporting all affected employees with severance, benefits, and resources to help them through this transition. Safety, reliability, and our customer commitments remain unchanged and remain our top priority.”

Meanwhile, on LinkedIn, some former Jeppesen ForeFlight employees have done what now seems typical on that social media platform, expressing surprise at the layoff while thanking the company and their colleagues for the experience.

“Well, this wasn't the update I expected to be sharing,” one person posted. “Yesterday, I received the unfortunate news that I, along with many other colleagues, am being laid off from Jeppesen ForeFlight. I'm grateful for the time I spent working with such an amazing team. I'm a frontend web software engineer and I'm now open to new opportunities. If you know of any roles or just want to connect, I'd love to hear from you.”

Another posted: “Hi everyone! It was a pleasure to work at Jeppesen Foreflight! Some things occur that are out of [our] control and I was laid off just now today. I am open to full-time positions and contract positions. Reaching out to my network for help as this was an unexpected new year surprise.”

ForeFlight was founded in 2007 by Tyson Weihs and Jason Miller, and it was sold to Boeing in 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Boeing acquired Jeppesen in 2000.