How one pilot’s frustration led to a smarter, more transparent model for aviation insurance
Aviation insurance has struggled to keep pace with the needs of modern pilots. Manual submissions, generic pricing, and slow quote turnarounds are still common. For Mark Haidar, a serial tech entrepreneur and commercial pilot, the disconnect became personal when he tried to insure his own aircraft.
“I’d spend hours on forms, wait weeks for a quote, and after paying six figures, there wasn’t even a thank-you,” he recalls.
That moment sparked the idea for Class A, a company founded on the belief that insurance should reflect real performance, reward safety, and operate with the same precision pilots expect in the cockpit.
Putting Flight Data to Work
At the center of Class A’s platform is a simple premise: insurance should be based on how you actually fly, not just on what you report.
Rather than relying on self-reported logs, Class A analyzes real-world flight data to bring greater accuracy and fairness to the underwriting process. Pilots with strong safety records benefit from quicker decisions, more personalized pricing, and useful insights that help them improve.
The platform’s Virtual Flight Department brings tools once reserved for airlines into the hands of turbine owner-operators. These include pre-flight risk assessments, real-time alerts, and post-flight analytics.
“You don’t pay the same car insurance as a reckless driver. Why should aviation be any different?” says Haidar.
Redesigning the Insurance Experience
Class A’s goal isn’t just to streamline paperwork. It’s to rebuild trust and transparency between underwriters and pilots.
The platform offers a fully digital process from submission to bind. AI-supported underwriting reduces turnaround time. Automated workflows eliminate repetitive tasks. Pilots and brokers can track performance through real-time dashboards and receive continuous feedback that encourages a culture of accountability and safety.
“We’re not just underwriting policies. We’re underwriting performance,” Haidar says.
Scaling a Safety-First Vision
Class A began with a clear focus: support turbine aircraft owner-operators who value data, efficiency, and accountability. That focus is expanding.
The company is growing its ecosystem of data partnerships, developing new capabilities inside its Virtual Flight Department, and exploring ways to support more segments of the aviation market. Every step is guided by the same mission that inspired its founding: making aviation insurance smarter, safer, and more aligned with how pilots actually operate.
“We’re building the future of aviation insurance,” Haidar says. “One where fairness, transparency, and technology take flight.”