Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

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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 <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2025-11-04/boeing-sells-digital-aviation-solutions-thoma-bravo">acquired</a> 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 <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2025-12-15/foreflight-cuts-cfi-discount-adds-referral-program">made a change</a> 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:&nbsp;“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 <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-03-06/boeing-buys-efb-app-maker-foreflight">sold to Boeing</a> in 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Boeing acquired Jeppesen in 2000.

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