SkyHope
SkyHope (Patient Airlift Services) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that coordinates free air transportation for medical patients, veterans, and families across the eastern United States through a network of 560+ volunteer pilots and commercial airline partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersFarmingdale, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What SkyHope does
SkyHope (legally Patient Airlift Services / PALS, EIN 27-2370028) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable aviation organization founded in 2010 and headquartered at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York. The organization coordinates free air transportation for medical patients, injured and disabled veterans, and family members who cannot afford or are physically unable to access commercial flights for treatment that is typically two or more hours from home. Service is delivered through a network of 560+ volunteer pilots who donate their aircraft, fuel, time, and skills, supplemented by partnerships with JetBlue, Sun Country, Frontier, Cape Air, and Southwest Airlines for longer-distance or commercial-route capacity. The organization has completed more than 35,000 free missions, served over 4,000 families, flown 6.5 million+ passenger miles, and provided 2,200+ flights specifically to veterans through its SkyHope For Heroes (PALS for Patriots) program since that vertical launched in 2011.
The core product surface consists of four service lines: the Free Medical Flight Program (the main patient service), SkyHope For Heroes (veteran transport to facilities including Walter Reed and Travis Mills Foundation retreats), Angel Flights (regional general-aviation medical flights), and Compassion Flights (family visitation missions). Specialized fundraising infrastructure includes the Open Skies Campaign, which segments donor contributions across Cancer, Children, Rare Diseases, Veterans, and a Mission Tomorrow Endowment fund. Technology is deliberately lightweight: a WordPress front-end website, GiveSmart donation forms, and a Salesforce-based pilot portal for mission coordination — no proprietary aviation logistics platform, no AI, and no public API are disclosed.
The business model is a donation-and-grant-funded nonprofit with zero fees charged to passengers. Revenue is sourced from individual donations, corporate sponsors (ADP, MLB, Starbucks Foundation Neighborhood Grants), foundation grants (Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Alexion Charitable Foundation, Sanofi, DAV Charitable Service Trust), and fundraising events including annual galas (Long Island, Westchester, Boston) and charity marathon teams (NYC, Berlin, Tokyo, Marine Corps). Go-to-market is community-led: patients are reached through hospital social workers, veteran organizations, and community partnerships, while pilot supply grows through fly-in events such as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and the organization's pilot application portal. The board has personally committed over $1.2 million to the Open Skies endowment, and the organization holds 2025 Candid Platinum Seal and Great Nonprofits Top-Rated recognitions for transparency and accountability.
SkyHope firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SkyHope
- Legal name
- Patient Airlift Services
- Website
- https://skyhope.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- SkyHope (Patient Airlift Services) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that coordinates free air transportation for medical patients, veterans, and families across the eastern United States through a network of 560+ volunteer pilots and commercial airline partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SkyHope industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Aviation Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medical Air Transport (Air Ambulance/Patient Transfer) (TLAFABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Air Ambulance & Medical Passenger Charter Operators (THABADAK)
Keywords
Where SkyHope is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Farmingdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SkyHope business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: SkyHope operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded entirely through donations, grants, and fundraising events. No fees are charged to passengers for services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free medical transportation services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
SkyHope product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SkyHope (Patient Airlift Services) coordinates free air transportation for medical patients, veterans, and families through a network of over 560 volunteer pilots who donate their time, aircraft, and fuel. The organization transports patients requiring out-of-town or out-of-state medical treatment, with specialized programs for injured and disabled veterans (SkyHope For Heroes), children with chronic and rare illnesses, and family support missions (Compassion Flights). All services are provided at no cost to passengers and funded entirely through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
Product overview
SkyHope is a nonprofit organization operating a volunteer pilot network that provides free air transportation for medical patients, veterans, and individuals in need. The core offering consists of the Free Medical Flight Program, which coordinates volunteer pilots donating their aircraft, time, and fuel to transport patients who cannot afford commercial flights to medical appointments two or more hours away. The organization runs specialized programs including SkyHope For Heroes (veteran flights), Angel Flights (regional medical flights), and Compassion Flights (family support missions). Funded through donations and grants, SkyHope does not charge passengers any fees. The Open Skies Campaign provides donors with options to direct contributions to specific cause areas including Cancer, Children, Rare Diseases, Veterans, and an Endowment Fund for long-term sustainability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SkyHope For Heroes: A program within SkyHope dedicated to providing free air travel for injured and disabled US military veterans requiring out-of-town medical treatment, transport to specialized military medical centers, adaptive retreats, and morale-boosting events.
- PALS for Patriots
- Open Skies Campaign
Products and services
- SkyHope Free Medical Flight Program SkyHope's primary service providing free air transportation for patients requiring out-of-town or out-of-state medical treatment who cannot afford or are unable to fly commercially. The program coordinates volunteer pilots who donate their aircraft, time, and fuel to transport patients to medical appointments located two or more hours from home.
- SkyHope For Heroes (PALS for Patriots) A flagship program providing free air travel for injured and disabled U.S. military veterans requiring out-of-town medical treatment or transport to specialized military medical centers (including Walter Reed), adaptive retreats such as Travis Mills Foundation, service dog reunions, and morale-boosting events throughout the eastern United States. Since inception the program has flown more than 2,020 veterans and their families.
- Angel Flights SkyHope's free regional medical flight service provided through a network of volunteer pilots using their own or rented aircraft. No fees are charged to passengers for these services.
- Compassion Flights Free volunteer flights arranged for family members of patients as compassionate missions to ensure patients have family support when they are away from home for extended medical treatment.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35,000+ free missions completed since 2012
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SkyHope
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
SkyHope technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SkyHope partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- JetBluecoreAviation partner donating flight vouchers to SkyHope passengers for additional transportation support.
- Sun Country AirlinescoreAviation partner providing flight services as part of SkyHope's network of transportation assets.
- Frontier AirlinescoreAviation partner providing commercial airline flights as part of SkyHope's transportation network.
- Cape AircoreRegional aviation partner supporting SkyHope's mission through flight services.
- Southwest AirlinescoreAviation partner providing commercial flight services as part of SkyHope's transportation network.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SkyHope competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LifeLine Pilots: Volunteer-pilot nonprofit providing free air transportation for medical patients needing distant care, primarily across the Midwest. Same model and mission structure as SkyHope; serves an adjacent geographic region.
- Angel Flight East: Volunteer-pilot nonprofit providing free medical transport in the Northeast US. Direct model match to SkyHope, with overlapping eastern-US territory and similar hospital/social-worker referral channels.
- Mercy Medical Angels: National nonprofit that provides free air and ground transportation for patients traveling for medical care, including through partner volunteer pilot networks. Overlaps SkyHope's mission and serves as both a peer and a potential partner/referral channel.
- Corporate Angel Network: Nonprofit arranging free private-air travel for cancer patients to specialized treatment using donated business jet seats. Highly comparable model (volunteer aviation for medical access) but focused on the cancer-patient segment and corporate jet capacity.
- Veterans Airlift Command: Provides free air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans, and their families for medical care and other vital needs via a volunteer pilot network. Direct overlap with SkyHope For Heroes program.
- Angel Flight South Central: Volunteer-pilot charity providing free medical flights across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico. Same volunteer-pilot, free-flight model as SkyHope; serves an adjacent geographic region.
- Angel Flight West: Nonprofit coordinating free volunteer-pilot air transportation for medical patients in the western United States. Essentially the same operating model as SkyHope but in a complementary geography; SkyHope's new Director of Development, Josh Olson, is a former 11-year Executive Director of Angel Flight West.
Emerging players
- Honor Flight Network: Charitable aviation organization transporting U.S. veterans to Washington, D.C. memorials at no cost. Not medical transport, but shares the volunteer-aviation-for-veterans space with SkyHope For Heroes and competes for the same veteran donor mindshare.
Broad incumbents
- Air Charity Network: Umbrella/coordinating nonprofit that historically linked multiple regional Angel Flight organizations. Operates broadly across the charitable aviation space and serves as a referral network across regions, including SkyHope's territory.
- Patient Advocate Foundation: National nonprofit providing case management and financial aid to patients, including transportation assistance. Wider patient-services portfolio but overlaps SkyHope's mission of removing access barriers to distant medical care.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SkyHope social profiles
Digital presenceSkyHope financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SkyHope leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
SkyHope funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SkyHope M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SkyHope
What does SkyHope do?
SkyHope (Patient Airlift Services) coordinates free air transportation for medical patients, veterans, and families through a network of over 560 volunteer pilots who donate their time, aircraft, and fuel. The organization transports patients requiring out-of-town or out-of-state medical treatment, with specialized programs for injured and disabled veterans (SkyHope For Heroes), children with chronic and rare illnesses, and family support missions (Compassion Flights). All services are provided at no cost to passengers and funded entirely through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.
Is SkyHope a public or private company?
SkyHope is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SkyHope founded?
SkyHope was founded in 2010.
Where is SkyHope based?
SkyHope is headquartered in Farmingdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does SkyHope make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are SkyHope's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LifeLine Pilots, Angel Flight East, Mercy Medical Angels, Corporate Angel Network, Veterans Airlift Command, Angel Flight South Central and Angel Flight West. Honor Flight Network is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Air Charity Network and Patient Advocate Foundation.
Does SkyHope have an API?
No public API is recorded for SkyHope.
What industry is SkyHope in?
SkyHope's product category is Charitable Aviation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAFABAG, Medical Air Transport (Air Ambulance/Patient Transfer), with a secondary code of THABADAK, Air Ambulance & Medical Passenger Charter Operators. Its NAICS code is 481211 and its SIC code is 4522.