SWA raising hiring mins

[navyflyer]

Thought they were going to raise ticket prices, NOT mins?!!!

To our Southwest Airline Pilot Candidates:

Thank you for your interest in joining the Southwest Airlines family. We consider your interest in our Company a very special compliment, and we take your career goals seriously.

We want to let you know about a change that we are making to our minimum requirements for the First Officer position. We have made the decision to increase our minimum Pilot in Command time in a turbine aircraft from 1000 to 1300 hours. This change is being made to more honestly reflect our competitive application minimums during this time. We have reviewed our hiring statistics from the last 2 years, and have determined that 1300 PIC hours in a turbine aircraft is the minimum PIC time we are considering for interviews. This change in no way indicates a lack of interest in you as a First Officer candidate for Southwest Airlines. It is our attempt to give you better information about our hiring process. We sincerely hope that you will continue to pursue a flying career with Southwest, and we encourage you to keep working toward your goals.

Your application will remain on file with Southwest, but will be in an inactive status until you update your turbine PIC time to 1300+. For more information on our hiring minimums and how we define Pilot in Command time, please refer to www.southwest.com. Thank you again for your interest in becoming a part of the Southwest Airlines family. We truly look forward to meeting you in a future Southwest Pilot interview.

Sincerely,

The Southwest Airlines Pilot Recruiting Team


Glad I'm proudly swimming in the FedEx pool....

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

Glad I'm proudly swimming in the FedEx pool....

Tell us navyflyer, which company would you rather work for? And why?

 

[JumpJetter]

How come the website hasn't been updated? I assume re received this via email. Doesn't really matter, nobody with only 1000 TPIC has been hired since 2001!

 

[Russ]

I still want SWA. That said I think its a bum deal. Been nice if they had grandfathered those already with the type. I guess it will really hurt those in the mil, I imagine fighter/attack guys will need a couple more years to achieve the extra 300 hours.
For those of us with the mins, it moves the datum point. I was climbing away nicely from the minimums. Now I'm back to being one of the guys near the minimums again, only a few hundred above it.
Yeah, I know life isn't fair.

 

[navyflyer]

FedEx. Because.

 

[Bobby Orr 4]

Big picture view...I believe this will help individuals rather than hurt them...as long as the 1300 is still competitive as well as their minimum. If you interview with 1001 and receive the letter because of time only, you have a minimum 1 year wait before trying again. Fly an extra 300 hours in 4-5 months, interview, receive the job and you just saved yourself more than half a year of seniority and anxiety because the new mins place you in the competitive time frame.

 

[Russ]

Kind of a big if. I hope you're right though.

 

[Jon Rivoli]

Only about four months 121 flying, going to hurt the military guys though.

 

[Fins Up]

For any of the military folks, how did you count PIC time. I think most guys go with a straight conversion of A-time with .3 per sortie. I know one P-3 guy who got hired using the 'sole manipulator' method starting after being qualified as a "2P" second pilot. I would hate to get caught manipulating the rules improperly.

 

[JAC2LAS]

Anyone know if they'll hire you without a 4 year degree? If so, is it very common?