@SusanF95 no I cannot tell you how the codes are as I have not gone to Dallas yet. From what I've HEARD, they're multiple choice. You may have the airport code and have to choose the city, or might have the city and need to choose the code. This is just what I've heard and I'm sure it is always subject to change.
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I have re-posted the entirety of the comment minus to whom I posted / tagged.
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Before I re-post a comment (as requested) , I want to state that I'm sure all positions/timelines/timeframes/content is *subject to change* at any time per SWA . This is ONLY what I've encountered in my position SO FAR as a CSA (customer service agent)
first things first...are you hired as CSA ? There are many ground ops positions, csa, css ,cargo, ops ... so thats the first thing b/c I can ONLY comment on CSA and CSS as we are on the same training schedule starting. Cargo/ops spent 2 days with us then went onto their own schdule. In my training, in my location of Arizona, CSAs and CSSs schedule is week 1 orientation. Don't worry about what you wear with exception to offensive or crude words on your clothing. Personally, I would shy away from wearing anything political as well. You will be ordering uniforms (they'll fit you for bottomwear) which they pay for. You PROBABLY wont get uniforms before training at airport, but during this time, they ask you wear comfortable clothing (again non offensive) and keep it clean. Tennis shoes with a polo type work just fine. Cant wear any uniform clothing unless fully uniformed. WHEN you are in uniform, then comes restrictions. black shoes (tennis shoes are fine) with black bottom trim. I personally have been dressed up more , but thats bc that's comfy to me. My slacks/khakis are more comfortable than jeans for my preference (prob bc I worked MGMT and I was used to wearing dress clothes/ties). Some wore shorts and t shirt. jeans. doesnt matter.
During this week you'll have a great instructor teach you various things you may be doing in your position. For CSAs you may work the gate area, you may work baggage office, may be putting bags onto belt when people check their bags... lots of diff things. You'll learn about TSA rules and regulations. You'll watch powerpoints. You'll get training on the computer and you will take tests. These tests are designed to make you succeed, not fail. DO NOT worry about these tests. I will not go into detail what they are about, but you are designed to pass them. The instructor will encourage you to learn the airport codes. They will stress you need to know them. For my position, we do not test for them until Dallas which is week 3 after orientation for us. That does not mean don't study them. If you start learning Aug 1st (5) codes a day, cities and codes (know them both ways) you'll know every code before you head to Dallas, so that is my advice. Don't overwhelm, but add to you list every day. If you are a ramp agent, they may need to know the codes that 1st week. I do not know their requirements. It sounds like they are different, but I do not have that knowledge. I won't talk about any specific on what we learn, but that's why you go to orientation. From the people I've met, talked to, learned from, etc, it feels like a system where they'll train you until you feel confident enough and they feel confident enough to unleash you to the wild. Lots of jobs 1 week training and you'll learn from experience...hear, nope! 7 wks, 8 wks continuous training. When I say that, I mean you'll be with trainers. Maybe learning something new, maybe receptive work that you'll catch on quickly, but still will have a trainer there with you until you're ready. Sure you'll learn things far after training, but SWA really seems to have something in place for succeeding rather than failure. Again I'm still new, but it's no where near as overwhelming as I thought it'd be! Last advice on this message is simple... converse with people!!!! Get to training and introduce yourself to your peers. you'll be with them the next 10,20,40 years. You don't have to be best buds, but learning their names, where they're from, what is their past work life like, and WHY SOUTHWEST !?!? You're going to hear "I worked at mcdonalds before this" "I worked at a bank" "i worked as a flight attendant and retired, now I just want to be on the ground part time" ... but dont be afraid to talk, ask questions, etc. My class REALLY seems to click well together which has made it all the better. We're in a group text. sharing photos of each other in class together, asking questions about schedules, parking, etc. Having good chemistry with your orientation class will go a long way , so like I said. Open up and converse. Share some laughs and have an open mind. SWA will help you succeed so stop worrying!!!!
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@GracieLou PHX!!!!!???? YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE the people you meet!!! Dan the Man will be your instructor I'm sure. He is FANTASTIC !!! You've prob already talked to Bert, again awesome ! From day one they talk to you like they've known you forever... dont baby you by any means, talk to you like a friend, not business like so to speak. Very comfortable level. You'll be starting orientation between 6-7 am pending the day. out between 2-3:30pm. orientation will be a couple miles from airport, parking on site (no cost). You'll probably meet Dan, Bert, Kelley , and Jeremiah that week. No bad things to say about any of them. Prob near or over 100 years of service combined from just those four, so you can learn a lot from them in that short time!
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@GracieLou you're welcome. Which airport? when is your start date?
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@GracieLou first things first...are you hired as CSA ? There are many ground ops positions, csa, css ,cargo, ops ... so thats the first thing b/c I can ONLY comment on CSA and CSS as we are on the same training schedule starting. Cargo/ops spent 2 days with us then went onto their own schdule. In my training, in my location of Arizona, CSAs and CSSs schedule is week 1 orientation. Don't worry about what you wear with exception to offensive or crude words on your clothing. Personally, I would shy away from wearing anything political as well. You will be ordering uniforms (they'll fit you for bottomwear) which they pay for. You PROBABLY wont get uniforms before training at airport, but during this time, they ask you wear comfortable clothing (again non offensive) and keep it clean. Tennis shoes with a polo type work just fine. Cant wear any uniform clothing unless fully uniformed. WHEN you are in uniform, then comes restrictions. black shoes (tennis shoes are fine) with black bottom trim. I personally have been dressed up more , but thats bc that's comfy to me. My slacks/khakis are more comfortable than jeans for my preference (prob bc I worked MGMT and I was used to wearing dress clothes/ties). Some wore shorts and t shirt. jeans. doesnt matter.
During this week you'll have a great instructor teach you various things you may be doing in your position. For CSAs you may work the gate area, you may work baggage office, may be putting bags onto belt when people check their bags... lots of diff things. You'll learn about TSA rules and regulations. You'll watch powerpoints. You'll get training on the computer and you will take tests. These tests are designed to make you succeed, not fail. DO NOT worry about these tests. I will not go into detail what they are about, but you are designed to pass them. The instructor will encourage you to learn the airport codes. They will stress you need to know them. For my position, we do not test for them until Dallas which is week 3 after orientation for us. That does not mean don't study them. If you start learning Aug 1st (5) codes a day, cities and codes (know them both ways) you'll know every code before you head to Dallas, so that is my advice. Don't overwhelm, but add to you list every day. If you are a ramp agent, they may need to know the codes that 1st week. I do not know their requirements. It sounds like they are different, but I do not have that knowledge. I won't talk about any specific on what we learn, but that's why you go to orientation. From the people I've met, talked to, learned from, etc, it feels like a system where they'll train you until you feel confident enough and they feel confident enough to unleash you to the wild. Lots of jobs 1 week training and you'll learn from experience...hear, nope! 7 wks, 8 wks continuous training. When I say that, I mean you'll be with trainers. Maybe learning something new, maybe receptive work that you'll catch on quickly, but still will have a trainer there with you until you're ready. Sure you'll learn things far after training, but SWA really seems to have something in place for succeeding rather than failure. Again I'm still new, but it's no where near as overwhelming as I thought it'd be! Last advice on this message is simple... converse with people!!!! Get to training and introduce yourself to your peers. you'll be with them the next 10,20,40 years. You don't have to be best buds, but learning their names, where they're from, what is their past work life like, and WHY SOUTHWEST !?!? You're going to hear "I worked at mcdonalds before this" "I worked at a bank" "i worked as a flight attendant and retired, now I just want to be on the ground part time" ... but dont be afraid to talk, ask questions, etc. My class REALLY seems to click well together which has made it all the better. We're in a group text. sharing photos of each other in class together, asking questions about schedules, parking, etc. Having good chemistry with your orientation class will go a long way , so like I said. Open up and converse. Share some laughs and have an open mind. SWA will help you succeed so stop worrying!!!!
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07-23-2022
01:01 PM
@GracieLou perfect! nevermind on email then 🙂 if you are applying for CSA position and want any info or have questions, please reach out and though I'm new, I may have a little knowledge to help. Good luck!
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07-22-2022
08:07 PM
@GracieLou Send me an email to bes.phoenix@gmail.com and put airport codes in subject line and I'll send ya a copy of mine. let me know on here when you sent me your email and i'll look for the email and send you the list. What position are you applying for and maybe I can give you the small insight I've encountered so far. It's been a very good experience so far!
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@TPArampgirl Thanks for the specificity. I, personally, am not worried about it. I know every code already that I've seen for SWA (121 codes I believe) , and i always seem to get 1-3 wrong when I do a speed test but usually thats in the form of just being in a hurry and just mix up sjo/sju/sjc bc quickly look at san juan/san jose and trying to beat my time...or write bhm not bhn ...simple stuff that will be easier to control if i take my time (like a real test haha) . I just like to have as much info ahead of time. Thanks again.
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@TPArampgirl - you just went to Dallas I believe so maybe you have better info . I am in orientation right now. We are being told we don't need to know the codes until Dallas for the test (which is 5 weeks). We were told today 100% needed, and it's multiple choice. Maybe it's different for positions, but could you tell me your criteria , only if you've taken the test. What was the number or percent you could miss, and whether it was mult choice or you just needed to put in the 3 letter code. People in class have been hearing lots of things, but fig'd i'd directly ask someone I thought recently took the test.
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07-17-2022
07:58 PM
07-17-2022
07:58 PM
ChristieR -
I can see why you may think that, but it really isn't. i'd say about 1/2 are really easy bc they're just the first 3 letters of the city ( i.e. dallas - DAL , Omaha - OMA, etc) ...then 1/2 of the rest make sense , like phoenix - phx. so i'd say 30 ish are ones you study more , and that can be learned fairly quickly. Im not saying i got it down 100% (just started Friday) but should not have an issue passing with 80%.
Put in a couple hours and I think you'll do just fine!
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07-17-2022
01:36 PM
07-17-2022
01:36 PM
Be advised : the studystack link is great to learn, but it does not include ALL of the airport codes listed in the guide. there are about 20 airport codes not in the "studystack" flashcards. Don't quote me on this, but I think these are not on there.
Bellingham, WA
Bozeman, MT
Steamboat Springs, CO
Jackson, MS
Kailua/Kona, HI
Montrose (Telluride), CO
Maui, HI (Kahului)
Palm Springs, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Sarasota, FL
Destin, FL
fresno
hilo
conzumel
lihue
honolulu
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07-14-2022
04:18 PM
Hey Daaaeeee Hope training and everything is going well. I just went and got my temp badge today and start orientation on Monday. I was just curious what to expect my first couple days and also, if you've already been to Dallas for the training. If so, how long were you in Dallas? I was told Fly in Sunday then home Friday...then the email said 11 days in Dallas. Then told something else...so I figured you were most recent class for CSA in Phx so why not just ask you lol.
If you have anything you can tell me from above questions, or anything you'd like to pass along (helpful hints/suggestions/advice) I'd be happy to listen! I'm sure I will need to start learning the cities and airport codes soon too. When they quiz you do they give yo uthe airport code and you write the city, or do they give you the city and you write the code?
Anyway, hope our paths cross soon at Sky Harbor!
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07-09-2022
07:30 AM
I am just curious if there is anyone working for SWA part time that could tell me if (and how accumulated if so) you receive paid time off ? I understand full time PTO benefits, but was not sure what the guidelines for part time were in this specific area. Part time employees receive benefits (health, dental, etc) but the benefits for PTO don't state anything about paid time off. If you are a part time worker with SWA , I'd appreciate any insight on if you get PTO, if you start with any PTO, and how you accrue more PTO. Thanks in advance.
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07-02-2022
06:57 AM
2 Loves
I cannot specify on your particular position or location but there are threads on this forum with "timelines" to give you an idea. Personally, in Phoenix for me, it was a little under 4 weeks to get things to move to next step's' (application to phone interview to video interview took about 4 weeks) which were fingerprint/drug screen email came. I did those the next day. Heard back a week from then (so week 5) that everything cleared and gave me a start date, which was just under 5 weeks out so altogether (for me) just about 10 weeks in total. Just be patient. I understand what you're mental state is, just keep positive vibes and find something useful to do in the mean time to get your head right (meditate, gym, read, bike ride, cooking, or whatever puts you in a good place mentally).
Good Luck! I will be flying to SD Monday for a mini vacation before I begin SWA ...that's what puts me in a good mindset!
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06-27-2022
01:35 PM
Goodluck with orientation day one DAEEEEEEE ! 3 more weeks for me before mine! Have fun!
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06-17-2022
11:44 AM
5 Loves
***UPDATE*** Since I asked for dates of when things were completed for a timeline, I just figured I should probably do the same. Application submitted May 11 Email for Phone interview with recruiter May 12 Confirmation May 13 Phone interview May 17 (and set up virtual interview for in one week) Virtual interview May 24 CJO May 26 Fingerprint and drug test set up email June 6 (you have 48 hours to set up and follow through) (at this point, I was expecting about 3 weeks as I've heard it can take some time) Confirmation to proceed June 15th Start date email June 17th (today)
Expected start date July 18. Beginning of process to the start date 10 weeks roughly. 5 weeks going through the process and almost 5 before start date. Moral of the story is don't be discouraged for going after something you want. I turned down a couple opportunities (including two other airlines among a couple other non-airlines) b/c this is where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. It was hard knowing it'd take time, but go where you think you'll be happiest. Just remember good things are worth the wait ! Good luck to anyone who reads this looking for their SWA opportunity! See ya down the road!
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06-10-2022
11:41 AM
1 Love
Daeeee -
Thank you for prompt response. It looks like it took almost 3 weeks (which I know can vary) from drug/fingerprints for you to hear back, so I will try to keep that in the back of my head. Unfortunately if thats the case, I won't be in the same class with you 😞 I'm sure if the job offer is extended to me, our paths will cross soon! Good luck in training and congratulations!
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06-09-2022
12:18 PM
1 Love
Hey DAEEEEEE ,
I live in the Phx area too. I had my interviews a couple weeks ago. Went and did fingerprint and drug testing yesterday (which I should have nothing to worry about there) . Hopefully I will be joining you in the CSA training. How long after the testing and prints before you heard back ? When did you have your last video interview? I'm only asking since you are in the same airport I'd be at, and this is very recent. Any info would be great. I'm not "worried", just curious on the timeframe is all.
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