Destination 225°®
Military Pathway 

Spread your wings and take flight.

The Southwest Airlines® Destination 225° Program, combined with our traditional hiring for First Officers, allows experienced, passionate, and well-trained aviators to learn how to fly The Southwest Way. Southwest Airlines designed this pathway to bridge the gap for pilots with fixed-wing turbine experience interested in launching their civilian flying career.  
Apply to the military pathway
The flight to First Officer.
All Destination 225° Military Pathway participants are required to build the requisite flight time and experience through SkyWarrior. If necessary, participants take an additional ATP/CTP course with Bell Murray Aerospace before completing the certificate with SkyWarrior.

After completing your training and experience in the pathway, you're eligible to bypass the traditional Pilot hiring interview. By working directly with Southwest Airlines during the hiring and onboarding process, you can reach your goal of becoming a First Officer.
Do I qualify for this pathway?
Eligible applicants for this program are current or former pilots from the U.S. Armed Forces with some turbine time in a fixed-wing aircraft and meet the additional requirements below.

If you're a current or former service member without any previous flight experience, you may be interested in our Cadet Pathway.

Candidates for the military pathway may…  
  • Be a transitioning or retired military pilot with flight experience, who doesn’t meet the requirements to become a Southwest First Officer.
  • Be an experienced military pilot with some fixed-wing turbine flight time, who doesn’t meet Southwest’s currency requirements and/or is lacking their fixed-wing unrestricted multi-engine ATP certificate.
  • Be interested in using the SkillBridge program to transition to civilian aviation.
  • Have an interest in utilizing their GI Bill to assist in attaining the requirements needed to become a Southwest Airlines First Officer.
  • Have separated from the military within the last seven years or plan to separate within the next two years. 

Pre-flight checklist

Dive into the basics of our Destination 225° program, and prepare your application for takeoff!

Ready for your new career to take flight?

Apply now for Destination 225°

Military pathway FAQs

Learn more about our partners.

We're proud of our partnerships with the following organizations who commit to going above and beyond to instruct and employ Destination 225° participants.
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SkyWarrior's logo
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