Southwest Airlines has specific FAA pilot minimums, but two commonly repeated numbers are only preferences. On 8 November 2026, its official pilot career page described 500 hours in a fixed-wing turbine aircraft and active flying for two of the past five years as preferred, not automatic minimums. Applicants still need the stated FAA ATP credentials, medical and a formal application to an open Pilot - First Officer posting.
That matters more than memorising a commercial Aon or cut-e test catalogue. This independent review separates the employer’s current public requirements from what PASS markets.
Mandatory qualifications versus Southwest preferences
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| Category | Official public wording | Practical interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| FAA airline pilot certificate | Required: USA DOT/FAA Airline Transport Pilot with Airplane Multiengine Land Category and Class and English Proficient limitation | A PASS aptitude score cannot substitute for FAA certification |
| Medical | Required: USA DOT/FAA First Class Medical; include any Special Issuance or SODA if applicable | Medical eligibility is independent of assessment practice |
| Fixed-wing turbine experience | Preferred: 500 hours in a fixed-wing turbine aircraft, or completion of all aspects of a Destination 225° pathway | Do not rewrite the employer's word preferred as a hard minimum |
| Recent activity | Preferred: actively flying for two of the last five years | Record recency accurately; the live posting may add requirements |
| Countable flying time | Only fixed-wing aircraft flight time counts; simulator, helicopter, WSO, RIO, FE, NAV, EWO and UAV time is excluded | Never inflate qualifying hours by adding simulation or rotorcraft time |
| Pilot-in-command time | Captain, Aircraft Commander of record or pilot signing for the aircraft, not simply sole manipulator of the controls | Use the airline's definitions when completing the Flight Hours grid |
The official requirements are a published general snapshot, not a promise that an active job exists today or that another vacancy cannot add filters. The Southwest application portal and your invitation remain decisive.
An updated Flight Hours grid is not a job application
Southwest instructs candidates to apply during an open hiring window to the named Pilot - First Officer position. The Flight Hours grid records aircraft-by-aircraft experience and can be updated for later attempts. Updating that grid does not count as applying to a new requisition. Candidates who used a previous window must submit a fresh application to the current posting.
Southwest also suggests preparing three letters of recommendation, because the pilot team may request them quickly after submitting an application. Keep logbook, résumé and grid totals aligned using its fixed-wing and PIC definitions; do not assume a sponsor or an application profile assures an interview.
Destination 225° is a different career-development pathway. Completing all aspects may satisfy a preferred-experience alternative on the general First Officer page, but it does not remove FAA eligibility requirements or eliminate the need to apply for a live job.
What is officially confirmed about selection?
The Southwest hiring-process guide describes application review, recruiter-led communication and possible phone, virtual or in-person interviews according to role. After a conditional offer, candidates can face background, education or safety-sensitive screening before starting. The airline explicitly says its careers website is the official application channel and that it does not ask for recruitment or training payment.
Southwest does not publish a permanent Aon/cut-e aptitude battery or a guaranteed simulator profile on those two public pages. Ask the recruiter which exercise or interview will actually be used. Do not treat a vendor’s “suitable for Destination 225°” statement as evidence that the programme and direct entry have identical selection tests.
| Source | Confirms | Does not confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Official Southwest pilot page | FAA certificates, preferred criteria, Flight Hours grid and requirement to apply to an open job | One unchanging test provider or interview date |
| Southwest recruiter and official invitation | Current candidate-specific steps and document requests | That every other candidate has the same sequence |
| PASS Southwest page | A commercial library marketed for Southwest and Destination 225° | Airline endorsement, recruitment payment, official pass threshold or a guaranteed offer |
PASS Southwest: third-party practice, not a hiring authority
A direct GET from Shlomiracle on 8 November 2026 found the PASS Southwest product with Last Update: 7 November 2026. Its advertised catalogue listed cut-e/Aon aptitude, reasoning, mathematics, personality and psychometrics plus technical, HR and simulator practice, along with optional aviation-English and Boeing 737-related content.
That is a third-party supplier’s claim, not an employer statement about the exact tests used in any specific campaign. Do not pay for simulator, type-specific or Aon-focused practice unless an official invitation or a documented training need justifies it. PASS does not apply to Southwest on your behalf.
Sponsor disclosure and exact Southwest course
ATCPracticeTest.com may earn a commission from a qualifying purchase, at no extra cost to the reader. This is an independent editorial recommendation, not an endorsement by Southwest or permission to pay anyone for an airline application.
The branded merchant destination returned HTTP 200 at review. That confirms the page loads, not that a Southwest vacancy is open. Compare current price, access term, cancellation, refunds and included modules at the actual checkout.
Three original candidate decisions
These examples are original editorial reasoning scenarios, not confidential Southwest test items or simulator manoeuvres.
Example 1 - preferred is not required
The general pilot page lists 500 fixed-wing turbine hours preferred. A fictional pilot has 480 turbine hours but otherwise meets its published FAA credentials. Does that figure alone prove the pilot is ineligible for every Southwest vacancy?
Reveal the eligibility distinction
Answer: no. The page says preferred, not universally mandatory. The exact open position and recruiter decide eligibility. This example does not guarantee the candidate will be competitive or selected.
Example 2 - categorising flight hours
A candidate reports 1,050 fixed-wing aircraft hours, 120 helicopter hours and 60 simulator hours as 1,230 qualifying Southwest hours. Is that total consistent with the employer’s published counting rule?
Reveal the hours calculation
Answer: no. Southwest excludes helicopter and simulator time from the fixed-wing flying total. The example contains 1,050 qualifying fixed-wing hours, not 1,230. PIC and other subcategories still require their own definitions.
Example 3 - a new vacancy window
An applicant updated their Flight Hours grid in October but did not submit a fresh application after Southwest opened a new Pilot - First Officer requisition in November. Does the earlier update alone make them an applicant?
Reveal the application rule
Answer: no. Southwest explicitly requires a separate application to an open First Officer position. Updating a stored grid does not replace applying to the current posting.
A sensible preparation sequence
- Check the current pilot career page and a live requisition; verify your FAA ATP, medical and other mandatory criteria.
- Reconcile the logbook, Flight Hours grid and résumé. Keep three genuine recommendations available in case they are requested.
- Prepare evidence about safety, crew communication, operational judgement and learning for recruiter-led behavioural discussions.
- Follow the actual invitation before choosing aptitude-provider, personality or simulator-specific practice; do not claim leaked or internally sourced questions.
- Consider a sponsored course only when it solves a real training gap and its terms fit your date and budget.
There are no guaranteed interviews, scores, offers or jobs. Formal recruitment, post-offer background checks and training remain under Southwest control.