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?

 

[SWA/FO]

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

lucky for you with no PIC time.

Had two guys in my class without college degrees.

 

[Fly High]

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!

Their website DOES reflect the 1300 Turbine now.

 

[lifeguard]

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.

It sure will help them. Now people arene't going to have to waste their time and money going down for an interview when their chances are slim to none that they will get hired with only 1000 PIC time. They still probably won't get hired with 1300 PIC. From what I know, it takes a lot more time than that. I heard its more like 1700 PIC hours.

 

[Headfake14]

Hmmm. What are the chances they'll shorten the 2nd interview time to 6 months. I know it's probably unlikely right now...but I'm still gonna be hopeful.

 

[navyflyer]

lucky for you with no PIC time.


Where are you trying to go with this?

 

[T2Pilot]

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.

From what I understand if your hours aren't good enough to get hired they won't call you for the interview anyway. I wouldn't wait to apply to get "extra" hours above the new minimum. The fact is they have lots of applications from people way above the minimums so who really knows what "competitive" means from month to month or why people with hours that are less than what Air inc lists as "competitive" are still called for interviews?

 

[matchthehatch]

Their website DOES reflect the 1300 Turbine now.

I still see 1000 hours. Can you give me a reference? Thanks.

 

[FlyBoeingJets]

FedEx. Because.

Because why? C'mon help the others out in their decision process. Share a little. No flame implied or intended.

 

[Seeniner]

Because....

From my casual observation of this thread, I was guess at the very least, his "because" is because if he is in the pool at FedEx, he has a bird-in-hand, where as it sounds as if he hasn't even interviewed with Southwest.

Just a guess.

 

[iflyhigh]

I still see 1000 hours. Can you give me a reference? Thanks.

The requirement for the 1300 hours PIC turbine is on the questions you answer for before entering the application information. If you answer no to the 1300 hours, it will not let you enter an application, or update one you have on file.

You are correct they have not updated the Flight Officer career page yet. I am sure that will be corrected very soon.

iflyhigh

 

[AMRCostUnit]

Been nice if they had grandfathered those already with the type.

Yep, I agree. I am sitting with right in the middle with 1150 PIC. I seem to be a permanent FO here at AA so I can't GET anymore PIC. Wouldn't have done the type if I was below the mins.

Yeah, I know life isn't fair

Yep again. Their game; their rules.

Unit
Now Below Mins

 

[Big Slick]

AMRCostUnit,
I can’t blame you for wanting to switch to an airline that is stable. Also, I can't blame you for wanting to work in a more positive environment. Here is some food for thought, however.

American Airlines Retirements:
2005-219
2006-313
2007-351
2008-457
2009-459
2010-397
2011-340
2012-329
2013-405
2014-405
2015-584
2016-643
2017-691
2018-739
2019-735
2020-750
2021-724
2022-623
2023-509
2024-486
2025-417

Depending on your age, it might be worth it to stay at AMR. Maybe, maybe not.

FlyBoeingJets - I had a friend who got hired by FedEx and SWA. I'm not gonna say who he picked, because I don't want to start another flight-info war. If you want to get in touch with him, send me a private message.

 

[Uppercrust]

Can I count the number post on Flightinfo towards the SWA minimums?? In plain talk, I have 1100 PIC BE-1900 hrs but have 260 posts. Does this mean that I have 1360 hrs??

 

[navyflyer]

Sorry, though I was being baited. New to the board, but long time reader. Never liked seeing pilots flaming pilots. Promised myself I wouldn't get pulled into that crap.

To answer the mail, because? Because I am in the FedEx pool. Bird in the had? Sure, always a true statement. Especially this day and age.

Educating the masses? I think you should take ANY flying job you can get that would improve your chances of upgrading to a major...I mean, that's why we're all here, isn't it? Remember those TWA L-1011 commercials?

Decision process? Well, I left the safety of the USN to pursue a career in the commercial aviation industry right after 9/11. My detailer called me and asked if I still wanted to get out, told him yes. Went on to gain 121 experience (with anybody = regional). Why? As a pure military guy, wanted to crack this code of 121 flying...get something on my resume. And it worked.

IN MY OPINION, this day and age (thanks to bin laden, that pr1ck), I think it is a safer bet to fly cargo over pax. You always gotta ship boxes! Although, anything can happen...

Have a friend deep into JB who called and said, my name was just 'pulled', asked if he should pull the trigger, told him 'no thanks'. Same thing happened with CA. The majors just aren't solid right now. The market is flooded with pilots...someone will fly for peanuts (like me with the regional), simple supply and demand.

Regardless, I am honored to be 'swimming' in the pool now with FedEx, and am looking forward to retiring as a FedEx CA.

 

[Malter1]

deleted...

 

[Sam Snead]

My guess is they place the "minimums" about 500 hours below competitive. The logic is that they just reduce the amount of paper and effort going into the garbage can.

Does any SWA pilot have an informal # of PIC turbine hours - average for hiring?

I'm guessing 1700-2000. Military pilots less, civilian more.

They only have to shave the "best" off the top.

For those wanting SWA hopefully that means you.