Speeding Tickets

[Delville]

Some good info! Thanks!!

My question about driving records and what-not is: do airlines check the databases for all fifty states? For example, I've driven cross-country several times and have gotten tickets in probably three states (including my own). I've only checked the database for my home state and it is clean. Do I need to check each state where I've gotten a ticket (they were all at least five years ago and I'm not sure I remember all of them)? What if I forget one?

Also, what about speeding tickets on military bases? Are they reported anywhere? I believe I've gotten a couple of those, but I only remember the most recent one last year. I wouldn't even know where to check the info on that. Should I let the airlines know about speeding tickets on military bases?

Finally (and this is probably a dumb question)...what about the times you get pulled over and the cop lets you go? They run your plates and all, so is it reported anywhere? I once got pulled over for going, well...alot, over the limit, but happened to be in my flight suit, so the very kind police officer simply told me to remember that my car was not an airplane! I assume that if a ticket was not issued, no record is made and there is nothing to tell the airlines about. Yes?

 

[Snoopy58]

What SWA (used to) ask for

My info is a couple years old, and when the new app system comes on line, what they will ask for is anybody's guess. However, the old (all paper!) application that asked about tickets & other offenses did NOT specify any time limit. There was space to list a few things, but you could always continue on a blank sheet if you had more.

I asked Rob Beeks about exactly this question, how far back should I go, and he was pretty clear: go ALL THE WAY BACK. Every ticket you ever got, from age 16 on! Here's why:

Southwest has the big picture, and they know that guys who like fast airplanes and have a heavy right foot in their 20's can & do grow up into safe, calm, mature aviators by their 30's and 40's. Do you think that nobody here has ever had speeding tickets in their youth? You better believe we did! Many with worse records than yours, most likely. BIG PICTURE! If you are *still* getting a ticket or two every year, consistently live on the edge of getting your license yanked, etc, then yes that is an issue. But if the tickets are in the past & all the other things all point to "good pilot & good dude," then you're fine.

ON THE OTHER HAND, integrity is a HUGE issue, and what you put on the app is a measure of you, right now & right here. DON'T EVER LIE ON AN APPLICATION TO SOUTHWEST!!! Even about something small & minor. If they find out, you're done. If they find out after you're hired, you may very possibly be done. It's an incredibly stupid gamble to put on the app only what you think that they can verify from whatever records check, because the costs of putting the info on (probably nobody will much care) are outweighed by the cost of getting caught (lose the job).

How would you feel getting to training, finding out that everybody else in class listed all their tickets (all 15 of them!), and you are the only one who claimed to be a perfect driver up until 10 years ago? I PMed with a guy here on FlightInfo a couple years ago who had been hired by a major airline (not SWA) but had omitted a couple of tickets from his app, and it was hanging over his head, because if they EVER found out he'd lied on the app, he could be canned. How would you want THAT hanging over you for the next 20+ years???

(Disclaimer: I don't KNOW that they expect every ticket back to age 16 or that they WOULD consider an omission from college days as an integrity problem, but in the absence of clear instructions, why set yourself up for something like that? Obviously, there's a "big picture" here as well -- if you list 7 tickets & they find an 8th from college days, that's less of a deal than if you list 2 & they find 2 more. But why live on the edge like that?)

Perhaps the new application will make all this moot by putting some time limit on the question, but for now I'd be ready to put down EVERY ticket you've ever gotten. If they cost you the job, at least you can say that you did the right & honorable thing. But I have a hard time imagining a scenario where they say "great guy, great recommendations, good job on the interview, competitive experience, but dang, look at all those traffic tickets 10 years ago... can't hire him." Remember, it's chief pilots on the decision board -- they're humans, not angels, and SWA chief pilots are, in the vast majority, some genuine good guys who are not hypocrits that would demand a perfection from applicants beyond what they did in their youth. They know like everybody else that the pilot with only 2 speeding tickets, 9 and 5 years ago, is either the exception or not fessing up!

Put the tickets on there, and relax. They'll appreciate your honesty!

All the best,

Snoopy

 

[SWAnnabee]

Background checks

Snoopy,
I completely agree. Lots of talk here on "How far back do they LOOK" and so on, but if they ask, you must tell. If they ask for all, then tell all. Interesting note BTW, in my research over the past couple of days, I found that the internet age has truly caught up to us. If you are thinking about background checks, many County Clerk of Court offices are now online. Because court records are public info, you can log on FOR FREE and just type in a name to get all court related info from that county. I didn't expect to find anything for myself but read here about others who "forgot" to pay a ticket with a resulting arrest warrant. Thought it would be safe to check just for the peace of mind. As I suspected, I'm clean but if you are questioning, just find the web page for the individual Court Clerk's office and do a search. If you do find something, have the court send you documentation in the mail to bring to the interview. That way if they ask, you have the proof right there and the issue will be closed. Better than walking away from an otherwise good interview and having "homework" to do. "That's just my opinion, I could be wrong."

 

[ceo_of_the_sofa]

there's no need to mention anything that can't be legally obtained by the airlines
provided all state records were expunged, and the suspension took place longer than five years ago, individuals shouldn't incriminate themselves
this information cannot be obtained by the airlines, and as far as the law is concerned, record is thus perfect. Attempts by the airlines to discriminate against hiring an individual based on the expunged record is illegal, if not impossible (case point, say you applied 3 years ago with points on your record, and now they were expunged, your employer can't discriminate based on that)

know your rights, thats all