Well, boys and girls...I wish I could give you the answers you are looking for...but I can't. And I don't know anyone outside the SWA pilot hiring department who can. They keep class selection criteria top secret. Every time I THINK I have figured it out, BOOM! I think Phil is on the right track concerning demographics being a player. It's the only way you can rationalize the seemingly random process of class assignments.
I will say that experience levels are probably not a big player. Your sim partner is the person sitting next to you, and seating is arranged by age. Old guys and gals up front (so they can see the board) and yound guys and gals in the back. Age also determines seniority within your class.
I will also say that in the past few years, the classes are pretty even concerning military vs. civilian background.
Several factors affect hire pool date, and subsequently, your call for a class date. Interview date and time...decision board date...the date you have ALL the squares filled. Each of these comes into play. For example, you could interview AFTER another guy, but because the moon and starts aligned for you, all your background checks, the drug screen, etc., get completed before the other guy. You meet an earlier decision board, get the thumbs up, they review your file, see all the squares are filled, and your forehead gets a date/time stamp. The other guy may still be waiting to meet the board.
I've had several clients with extraordinary waits between the interview and their decision board. Reasons run the full spectrum: lost paperwork, lost drug screen results, uncooperative companies not releasing training records, and a myriad of other things. The good news is that folks with extremely long waits usually get hired!
My best advice is this:
1) If you are currently typed and in the pool, you should be wearing a SWA ID no later than April, and you are the envy of many! Enjoy the holidays!!
2) If you are in the pool, but haven't got a type yet...what are you thinking? Do you think UAL, AA, DAL, US Airways, et al, are going to magically recover and start recalling furloughed pilots and resume hiring new guys in the next year? Next two years? Next three years? Are you holding out for jetBlue to call? Yeah, I know it costs $8000 to roll those dice, but what will it cost if you DON'T roll them?
3) If you are awaiting an interview, the type rating will make a big difference in getting an early invite. It looks like January interviews are going to the dozens of folks who had their September or October interview cancelled by Osama. I haven't heard anything about interviews after January. I expect them to continue, but that is not a certainty. Nothing is certain right now!
As most of you know, SWA thrives when times are bad. The applicant pool is now filled to the brim with very highly qualified pilots. You can expect the overall hiring percentages to go down since SWA doesn't need to worry about folks bailing from the pool to take another job offer. you can also expect the qualifications of hired pilots to be much higher than in the last couple of years. Bottom line: SWA is now the main game in town, and most everyone is coming to play.
To everyone: hang in there! Please pray that no other terrorist hits the airline industry. Please ask your relatives, friends, and neighbors to fly instead of drive.
Rob Beeks
RWB Consulting
(Disclaimer: any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental)
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