Say hello.
Say hello.
Thanks for flying by! We're so glad you're here. Southwest® is proud to be a Presenting Sponsor of WAI. Visit our Pilot Hiring Team at Booth 2120 or join one of our Industry Briefings in Magnolia 13.
Thursday, March 21
2:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Gaining Experience: Your Destination 225° Pathways to Southwest
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Ready to Fly: The Life of a Southwest First Officer
Gaining Experience: Your Destination 225° Pathways to Southwest
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Ready to Fly: The Life of a Southwest First Officer
Friday, March 22
1:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Technical Operations Industry Briefing
2:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Gaining Experience: Your Destination 225° Pathways to Southwest
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Ready to Fly: The Life of a Southwest First Officer
Technical Operations Industry Briefing
2:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Gaining Experience: Your Destination 225° Pathways to Southwest
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Ready to Fly: The Life of a Southwest First Officer
Saturday, March 23
10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Gaining Experience: Your Destination 225° Pathways to Southwest
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Ready to Fly: The Life of a Southwest First Officer
Gaining Experience: Your Destination 225° Pathways to Southwest
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Ready to Fly: The Life of a Southwest First Officer
Pilot Recruiting Seminars
Pilot Recruiting Seminars
Want to learn more about what it's like to captain the Southwest skies? Join our Pilot Recruiting Seminars in Seaside 7 to learn about our open Pilot - First Officer opportunity. Walk-ups are encouraged!
23
Thursday
1530 - 1700: Pilot Recruiting Seminar
24
Friday
1000 - 1130: Pilot Recruiting Seminar
1400 - 1530: Pilot Recruiting Seminar
1600 - 1730: Pilot Recruiting Seminar
25
Saturday
1330 - 1500: Pilot Recruiting Seminar
"I found and fell in love with this career, and then one of my kids fell in love with this career as well. It’s a dream come true!"
- Captain Holly P.
First Officer Keely and her mom, Captain Holly, made Southwest history by becoming the first-ever mother/daughter Pilot duo. After 18 years as a Southwest Pilot, Holly is certain that flying is still exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life, especially as she gets to share that passion with the ones closest to her.
First Officer Keely and her mom, Captain Holly, made Southwest history by becoming the first-ever mother/daughter Pilot duo. After 18 years as a Southwest Pilot, Holly is certain that flying is still exactly what she wants to do for the rest of her life, especially as she gets to share that passion with the ones closest to her.
Apply as a Southwest Pilot.
We'll post a new Southwest Pilot opportunity on the seventh of each month (e.g., March 7).
During an open hiring window, please apply to the Pilot - First Officer role on Careers.Southwestair.com. You're required to apply for an open position for interview consideration.
During an open hiring window, please apply to the Pilot - First Officer role on Careers.Southwestair.com. You're required to apply for an open position for interview consideration.
Minimum qualifications for First Officer
Minimum qualifications for First Officer
Certificates/Ratings
USA DOT/FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. The certificate must display the following:
USA DOT/FAA First Class Medical Certificate and, if applicable, any necessary Special Issuance of a Medical Certificate (Authorization) or Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) issued by the Federal Air Surgeon.
- "Airplane Multiengine Land" Category and Class Ratings
- "English Proficient" limitation
USA DOT/FAA First Class Medical Certificate and, if applicable, any necessary Special Issuance of a Medical Certificate (Authorization) or Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) issued by the Federal Air Surgeon.
Flight experience
- Preferred: 500 hours in a fixed-wing turbine aircraft or successfully completed all aspects of a Destination 225° pathway program
- Preferred: Actively flying for two of the last five years
- Note: PIC time is defined as Captain or Aircraft Commander of record or pilot signing for the aircraft (not sole manipulator of the controls)
- Note: Only time in a fixed-wing aircraft is counted, this specifically excludes simulator, helicopter, WSO, RIO, FE, NAV, EWO, and UAV
Our Heart starts with our People.
Want to work in a unique, People-first Culture, with competitive benefits and a solid record of job security? Southwest Airlines is growing, and we’re looking for top-notch Employees to grow with us.
Benefits for First Officers you'll love:
- Fly for free on any open seat on all Southwest flights, see all the destinations Southwest serves here (your eligible dependents fly, too)
- 15% non-elective contribution (B-Fund) deposited into your 401(k)*
- A ProfitSharing contribution toward retirement—when we profit, you profit*
- Competitive health insurance for you and your eligible dependents
- Opportunity to purchase 10% off Southwest Airlines common stock, LUV, traded on NYSE
- Company-paid Loss of License
*ProfitSharing contributions are subject to the plan’s vesting schedule and are made at the discretion of the Company.
You've applied! What's next?
- We’d love to meet you in person, so we’ll fly you to Dallas and invite you to spend a half-day with us at our beautiful facility on the edge of Dallas (Love Field).
- You’ll conduct a logbook review with one of our Pilots, and a Line Oriented Interview exercise with two other Southwest Pilots.
- We’ll also take you on a tour of our training facility and answer any of your questions.
Pro tip:
- You’ll receive detailed instructions on what to prepare for your logbook review. Please follow them!
- Remember that you need at least three letters of recommendation attesting to your flying ability!
Flight Operations FAQs
Click each question below to learn more about what it's like to be a Pilot at Southwest Airlines.
During New Hire training, you’ll spend approximately two months at our state-of-the-art training facility in Dallas. Known to us as the LEAD Center, our training facility is for Leadership, Education, and Aircrew Development.
Our LEAD Center, which is growing, currently houses:
- 13 Boeing 737 MAX simulators
- 10 Boeing 737-800 simulators
- 3 Boeing 737-700 simulators
- 52 simulator briefing rooms to support 26 simulators
- 24 procedures trainers with briefing rooms
- 35 classrooms
- 240 Flight Instructors dedicated to your success
During your training, we’ll provide you with single-occupancy hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the training facility, and full pay. Also from day one, you and your eligible dependents receive full benefits such as medical and dental insurance, life insurance, and travel benefits. We’ll also provide you with an Electronic Flight Bag iPad and everything you’d need for a world-class training experience.
- Matched with a Southwest Airlines Pilot mentor
- Your mentor is a current Southwest First Officer with similar flight experience
- First day at Southwest Airlines
- Celebratory welcome dinner with a guest to meet Southwest Leaders
- 50 days to complete your Initial Training Period
- Celebrate passing your Boeing 737 Type Rating check ride
- 25+ flight hours: Initial Operating Experience
- Fly with a Southwest Check Pilot to build Line Flying experience
- 30-day period: first month of on-line flying
- New First Officers are assigned a flying line for the first month to transition to the line with the bonus of not sitting reserve
- Four months from start: check in and get to know your Chief Pilot
- Six months from start: First Officer Leadership course in Dallas
- Two-day event covering CRM/RRM, Safety data and trends, and the opportunity to meet with Senior Leaders
- Nine months from start: meet with your Chief Pilot
- Another check-in with tips on how to prepare for your upcoming check ride
- 11 months from start: complete your first AQP check ride
- One year from start: celebrate your first Southwest anniversary
- Receive your second-year pay increase
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
- Chicago (Midway) (MDW)
- Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Denver (DEN)
- Houston (Hobby) (HOU)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Phoenix (PHX)
We run a monthly vacancy bid, allowing you the opportunity to change your domicile 12 times per year!
We have ETOPS Pilots based in Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), and Oakland (OAK).
- Southwest Airlines Pilots enjoy one of the most flexible scheduling policies in the industry. We offer all Pilots, regardless of seniority, the ability to modify their schedule extensively to suit their needs.
- We don’t use Preferential Bidding (PBS) so you can see what your exact schedule is before you bid on it.
- Our vacation overlap system allows you the option to drop any flying that touches your vacation week, potentially gaining you many more days off.
- Pilots can trade their trips with each other via a web-based system, even with Pilots in a different base. Vacation trading works the same way!
- Pilots can trade their flying with the Company for different trips that suit their needs.
- A Pilot can drop their flying line down to zero (with some restrictions)—there’s no minimum you must fly.
- You can increase the amount of your flying, up to FAA limits (with some buffers).
- Pilots are paid 100% credit for every leg they deadhead.
- We group most of our flying into an a.m. or p.m. pattern for circadian rhythm. Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, we have something to suit you!
- 8% of our trips are a single day out-and-back
- 11% of our trips are two days long
- 63% of our trips are three days long
- 18% of trips are four days long
- We currently don’t fly red-eyes
- On average, Pilots fly 2.7 flights per day*
- Our reserve Pilots average 15 days off per month
- Our line-holder Pilots average 17.6 days off per month
- Our average flight is two hours and 30 minutes long*
- Our shortest flight is 40 minutes long
- Our longest flight is six hours and 20 minutes long
- We currently fly 68 ETOPS flight per day between the Mainland and Hawaii*
This schedule is based on the average trips in 2021
*Based on 2021 Fourth Quarter
Since 1997, Southwest Airlines Pilots have visited classrooms and led activities demonstrating to students curriculum such as how to apply science, geography, and math in "real life."
Learn more about our Adopt-A-Pilot program.
Learn more about our Adopt-A-Pilot program.
Are you interested in where we fly? Check out our route map for the most up-to-date destinations.
- We offer Roth and Traditional 401(k) options*
- We’ll reimburse most of the cost of your FAA Medical and EKG (when required)
- We’ll pay for your passport renewal expenses
- Access to CASS to take advantage of multiple jumpseat agreements
- Enhanced gender transition benefits**
- Adoption Assistance Expense Reimbursement Program**
- Employees and eligible dependents receive access to free counseling resources and work/life balance tools
*401(k) and ProfitSharing contributions are subject to the plan’s vesting schedule and are made at the discretion of the Company.
**Benefits vary depending on the workgroup.
Join our Talent community.
We’ll notify you about relevant positions and keep you in mind for new opportunities.