Advice for applying for future flight attendant positions, please!

[AveryScheuch]

I am aware that Southwest is not currently hiring flight attendants and the union has asked for a hold on hiring until they get the 737 Max issue resolved, however, I am curious if anyone can offer some advice for future positions with Southwest Airlines.

I currently have been invited to attend Flight Attendant Training with SkyWest Airlines and Frontier Airlines, as well as recently completed my video interview with American Airlines. However, we love Southwest and have been loyal for years and the company values and culture truly make it a dream employer and ultimately, the team I want to be a part of. I was hoping for a little guidance at this juncture to help me be as competitive as possible when an opportunity arises.

1. First and foremost, training that I have been invited to does not start until spring. Before I commit to another airline, will Southwest be hiring Flight Attendants in the near future?

2. If the timing does not work out, I would like to get experience with another airline and stay with them for a couple years. I see tremendous value in the other companies I am applying for and know I can learn so much from each of them before advancing in my career. At this point, I am strongly considering Frontier (for which I have an offer) and American Airlines (in the process) should an opportunity with Southwest not arise. Can you offer any guidance as to if either opportunity would make me more competitive in the future?

3. Are there any specific skills Southwest is looking for? I have lots of experience working with people of different abilities and have considered learning American Sign Language in my role as an adaptive ski instructor. Similarly, I speak Spanish and German but would need to spend some time refreshing my skills to attain fluency. I have capacity for this if it would be valuable.

I truly appreciate any advice and any guidance. Southwest is such a phenomenal company and I am eager to do what it takes to get to be part of such a great team.

[TheMiddleSeat]

As this Community is primarily a customer to customer forum you may not get responses from people who can provide definitive answers for you. My impression based on talking with various Southwest employees is that Southwest does not necessarily look at past experience as much as who you are, your personality, and how well you would fit into the company's culture. There's a lot of hard working flight attendants out there that just don't have the Southwest spirit. So focus on learning about the Southwest culture and attitude and any other skills you have such as speaking multiple languages are great bonuses that you can use to promote yourself. 

Personally I hate Frontier so much and hear nothing good about how they treat employees and customers that I would never consider working for them, even as a way to get into a field. Good luck with Southwest and American, both seem like much better options.

--TheMiddleSeat