Struggling Southwest Airlines Cuts Required Flight Time for Prospective Pilots

Scandal-hit Southwest Airlines has slashed the number of flying hours new pilots must have on jet planes in an attempt to boost hiring.

The airline, whose recent woes include a holiday season meltdown and a terrifying near miss, has reduced the experience candidates must have in jet and other turbine-powered aircraft from 1,000 hours to 500 hours.

Company bosses announced the move as they try to increase the number of pilots by 1,700 this year amid a surge in demand as the world emerges from the covid pandemic.

Southwest has changed its rules amid a series of recent controversies. On Saturday, one of its planes narrowly avoided a collision with a FedEx plane on the tarmac at the Austin airport.

The airline is also currently facing a lawsuit over the cancellation of 16,700 flights over the holiday season that disrupted the travel plans of some 2 million customers.

The move is designed to boost recruitment amid a post-pandemic surge in demand. Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan has said the company “has no problem attracting fantastic pilots.”

Southwest, which currently has about 9,400 pilots, insists that easing its hiring requirements won’t affect safety.

Federal Aviation Authority rules state that all pilots must have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours to obtain a license. The FAA does not specify the type of aircraft, but airlines often set their own guidelines for the number of hours spent flying on the planes because they are used for most commercial flights.

A message sent to pilots last week said the change would go into effect on Tuesday, February 7.

A spokesperson said: ‘Our robust and rigorous flight operations training program has not changed, and all current and future first officer candidates must pass all elements of the curriculum before flying for Southwest.

“As this recruiting change is aligned with hiring at or above FAA requirements, we will continue to select competitively qualified world-class aviators who demonstrate extensive flying experience, professionalism and Southwest values.”

Aviation consultant and former pilot Kit Darby said NewsNation the change gives the airline “a lower floor where they could select a prominent candidate with less experience.”

The change in contracting requirements comes after Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 17,000 flights over the holiday season, affecting the plans of nearly 2 million customers.

On Saturday, February 4, a Southwest Airlines flight was involved in a terrifying near miss with a FedEx plane at the Austin airport.

Casey Murray, director of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said: ‘This is to address the dwindling group of pilots interested in coming to Southwest. They’re having trouble hiring them, they’re also having trouble keeping them.’

Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said last month that the company “had no problem attracting great pilots to Southwest Airlines or filling classes.”

Industry insiders have said the rule change comes as other airlines also tweak their requirements to recruit more pilots.

Tim Genc, ​​Senior Advisor at FAPA.aero, a pilot racing advisory firm, told the Wall Street Journal: ‘It’s not that companies are lowering their standards, but simply trying to cast a wider net to find more applications and identify the best candidates.

“Major airlines hired more pilots last year than ever before, and still fell short of their needs.”

Southwest Airlines CEO Jordan has repeatedly apologized for the mass cancellations over the holiday season, saying the airline is looking at all options to prevent a repeat.

The US Department of Transportation is investigating Southwest Airlines for mass flight cancellations during the holiday season.

The Department of Transportation, which is investigating the airline for “unrealistic flight scheduling,” has sent thousands of complaints it received to Southwest.

Jordan has repeatedly apologized for the mass cancellations over the holiday season, saying the airline is looking at all options to prevent a repeat.

Union leaders blamed the chaos on Southwest’s “outdated technology and processes, really from the ’90s, that can’t keep up with the complexity of today’s network.”

Aviation authorities also launched a separate investigation into the near miss in Austin.