Southwest Airlines Community

Hi there to Debbie Jo, As a new probationary flight attendant I can tell you that your sisters schedule at SW will be unpredictable month to month for some time to come. She will be on Reserve for an undetermined amount of time and it may/probably will change month to month which days she will be on call. For instance this month I am on Reserve Sat -Mon but last month it was Tues -Fri. As time goes on her schedule should become more stable but there will still be times when she will be on Reserve. Hopefully her family and ex-husband will work with her and allow her to work this job and be flexible as to her schedule. That is the only way it will work for her. Good Luck! Steph ... View more

Hey Fellow Poolies!!!! Lets save some water for Eemeraldskies!!! Welcome Eemerald, the water is fine! Steph ... View more

Best of Luck Emeraldskies! You will do fine with that attitude! The 1/1 that I attended involved an interview with 2 different senior/supervisory employees and there was a list of job experience questions, what if type questions and past experience questions. The interview touched on both positive and negative work events and towards the end of the interview the question was asked "What qualities will you bring to Southwest Airlines" ( I forget my interviewers exact phrasing). Because I did absolutely no research on Southwests Interview methods all the questions were a surprise to me and I had to answer the best I could and honestly! No time to try and make myself look good when you do it that way! LOL! I think a little research would have been helpful as well as some tips on posture and eye contact and such. I found myself feeling a little shy at times and wanting to cast my eyes down so a little pump up pep talk in the mirror would have been good for me beforehand as a reminder to make good eye contact. I just kept thinking " I can't believe SW is actually interviewing ME for a my Dream Job!" It was really humbling! Regards, Steph ... View more

Good to hear from you Kim! I agree SW is worth waiting for! Stay in touch and get on the boards that are set up for the future SW FA's. Keep that resume polished up and keep thinking positive. I have confidence in you! Steph ... View more

Hi Elisa, About my preparation for the GI. Well the funny thing is I didn't do anything really. I was ecstatic about the chance to get hired as an FA for SW but the truth is I was studying for finals, working and taking care of my family in the months and weeks before my invite date! I did fret over what to wear and didn't have time to shop for a really gorgeous "Power Suit" so I settled for the nice gray conservative pantsuit I have had for a couple of years and rarely had a chance to wear because I work in a uniform. I wore a crisp white ruffled blouse under it, not low cut! I wore nice smaller size jewelery and matching shoes and purse made sure I was neatly groomed, hair, makeup etc. As for mental preparation, it had been 22 1/2 yrs since my last job interview so I was nervous and didn't have any idea what to expect!!! I decided that just being myself would have to work for me because I didn't have a lot of business experience outside of the job I had held all these years and I am not a good actor so I just hoped they would like me and all the years I have spent helping customers at my longtime job. I went in there and was just amazed at what this Airline really is, the more I heard the more I knew I really wanted to work with them and if I didn't get hired I was going to be disappointed. THAT was making me nervous!LOL! Just remember! You are being interviewed the whole time you are there! Try to relax and have fun. If you get invited to the 1/1 phase remember the positive experiences you have with people in any capacity, your job, your church or volunteer work. Emphasize the positive attributes in your personality that pertain to the Flight Attendant job. The Supervisors, Recruiters and other SW employees who sit on your GI panel are all going to be really nice, knowledgeable people who are going to make you feel comfortable and welcome. So you will have fun I can guarantee you! I'm sorry I don't have a magic bullet or formula for you! I am still pinching myself that I got invited to training! But basically just be your very best self and try to emphasize the skills you already have that you feel they will be looking for. and like I said be happy, and as natural as you can be when you are so excited and nervous. I hope all this helps... Write me back and let me know how it goes Elisa! I really wish you lots of luck! Have fun! ... View more

Hi Dennis I was wondering where you were! What is your "board name"?. Mine is stefnyjane. I am a June 7 , 1/1 so have missed the class invite this time around it seems. So hopefully Oct. There is a post on the big forum from a guy who interviewed recently and was told that the pool was going to be done away with and classes will be about 160 in the future. He did not say when and was going to doublecheck his info. If correct that would be exciting for all of us who are waiting! So message me here or post a comment on my sidebar when you notice me on the board. If I recognize your board name then I can do the same. 3 weeks into background is good news. You should be all done by now. You could call "People" and ask your status ie if the background is finished. let us know! Steph ... View more

Well keep that number to First Advantage and keep her phone on and hopefully she will hear good news soon! Good Luck. I interviewed in Oakland too and I heard back on the 9th day after my 1/1. steph ... View more

Mike I forgot to tell you the number for First Advantage is 1-800-289-2120. they do the background verifications. She can call client services, explain she is going through the background for SWA and ask if her file has been completed. They won't tell her the results but she will find out if it is done. Then she will know she is just waiting to hear from the People Dept. Good Luck! ... View more

Mike I imagine the "try again" letter is a standard form letter that they can send out easily. There was apparently alot of interviews just in these last couple of months so I am sure there is tons of stuff to process. If your girlfriend was invited to training on the day of her 1/1 then she is going through the background now so congrats to her! The fingerprinting and all of that are just the intitial phase, you are right. With all the interviews lately her background may be just in the slew of paperwork going back and forth between the different depts! Did they tell her to call back or wait for an email or what did they say? I finally got the email almost a month after I was told on the phone on the day I got the nerve up to call! So don't worry, it sounds like she is on track! Keep posting the progress! Steph ... View more

Hi Mike, Your girlfriends experience sounds similar to my own. I also did fingerprinting and filling out paper work about past employment and residences and schooling etc in the minutes after my 1/1 interviews. And I was NOT told at that time whether I had passed to the next phase! ! I was told to wait for a call or a letter. Keep in mind that the FBI is not onsite at the People Dept. to make determinations on this info that quickly! It is sent off to gosh knows who ( First Advantage for example) and the FBI maybe and possibly even the FAA for a thorough vetting process. AFTER my fingerprinting etc I waited 9 days to receive a call that I had made it to the training school opportunity PENDING THE BACKGROUND CHECK! Yes, after the congrats i still had to wait again! Now after passing background I am in a pool of candidates waiting for a training date. People DO fail training! I have NOT been hired yet until I complete training successfully! Has your girlfriend been told by the employment coordinator that she has been selected to go to training? Has she been told that her background check is complete and satisfactory? Once again, being fingerprinted does not mean you are hired! I suggest she call the People Dept where she interviewed to double check on her status. Have her ask if her background check is complete and is she a candidate in the "pool". Then you will know where she stands! Please let us know how this phone call goes! It is very exciting to hear that you have been selected! I too was reluctant to call and be a 'pest' but after a month of no onfo I did finally call and got the good news! My guess is if it has been 3 weeks she has probably passed background if they selected her that day of the interview. But she needs to know how the background went! Good Luck! Steph ... View more

Hi Mike, Thats great that your girlfriend made it through the 1/1! After her 1/1 did they tell her she was selected to go through the background check before being sent to inflight training? This is key because background is a whole process, not just one day! If she was selected to go through background then that is what she is waiting to hear back from. Background checks can take a week to a month or 2 depending on how much there is to verify and how hard it is to get verified. She should be watching her email, mailbox and phones for messages from the First Advantage ( the background folks) or SW. If she has questions about her progress or status she should call the People Dept/ Employment Coordinator where she interviewed! I waited over a month before I finally got antsy and called SW back. Sure enough I was done and in the "pool" waiting for a training date but no one had told me! So I would have her call, or wait another week. Also many people say that they got an email from Southwest with a big Congratulations Airplane but that it got hung up in their spam filter so they never got it till they went looking for it! You might check your spam filter first! Good luck and keep posting to let us know how it goes! There is also a message board for future FA's. It is www.swa. flightattendants.org that has alot of good info on it. She can register and hopefully will get approved to post soon. Many never get approved but you can still read the posts from everyone else. ... View more

OH WOW!!! THAT IS AWESOME DENNIS! I HAVE TO USE CAPITOLS TO EXPRESS HOW HAPPY I AM FOR YOU!!! YEAH!!!! I KNOW HOW HAPPY YOU ARE FEELING! I HAD A GOOD FEELING ABOUT YOU EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE NEVER MET. CONGRATS. OK so now... I need to calm down! LOL! Get registered on the www.swa.flightattendants.org board and try to get validated to post. Most of us newbies are not able to post but there is lots of posts from others to read. I will look for your posts both here and there. My email is posted there on my profile if you read back through some of my sidebar comments. Let me know what your name is on the board and when I see you I wil post a comment to you.A few of us F/F/A's stay in touch that way while we wait to get validated. Email me when you find it if you have any questions and I will add you to our little group if you would like to chat with us via email. Then when you get through background you post Aggie or Kimbersue and tell them to add you to the poolie list. You will be in the pool "officially". This is important because then you are in line for your training date. Like me and all the others there. My board name is "stefnyjane". Good Job! Steph ... View more

Hi Dennis and Leigh, Yes I am still in the pool and if rumours are true I may be in it for a while! We will see! I was hoping for Oct. training but the downlow is that the 155+ count poolies from April/May that likely include much deserved Internal Promotions who are going to fill out the next couple of classes. These are peole who have worked hard to get in! It may be 08' before I get the go ahead. Dennis, Yes! think positive! You sound so "right" for the job! i hope it works out and please keep me informed here! I have been watching for you every day! As for the board, yes we are all waiting to do more than read the posts of the few that are allowed to post and do. Leigh! you too... just stay focused but it has only been a little more than a month. I have heard they aren't even taking any more apps. for a while so if that is true at least yours is in there. Like I told you in an earlier post and if you go the the www.swa.flightattendants.org site, many of us waited for months or more to get the invite! Be patient and read all the posts. it will help you. I wish I had known about the site earlier. Best Wishes and keep posting here for us! steph ... View more

Hey Dennis! I'm glad to hear it went well for you! I will be thinking good thoughts for you while you wait. It was a rollercoaster for me during the 9 days I waited to hear back. 1 minute I felt positive about my interviews and the next minute I found myself wishing I had expressed my self better ! When the phonecall came it caught me on a Sat. afternoon when I had finally given worry a rest. I was driving on the freeway home from a mini vacation. I almost had to pull over I was so excited! 9 days was my wait time. I have heard of folks who found out that same day and some that waited longer than me for their call or email! Everyone says a letter in the mailbox usually means " try again". Think positive! Did you go to the SW/F/FA .org site I mentioned and start reading posts yet? Lots of posts from people who went through the same thing. I wish I had found that site sooner. Regards Steph ... View more

Hi Dennis, Yes I am splashing around in the pool. My GI, and 1/1 were June 7th so I'm hoping to go to training asap but we all have to wait our turn to get plucked out of the pool! For some reason I thought you were here on the West Coast. Good Luck down in PHX at your 1/1! Let us know how it goes as soon as you can! Steph ... View more

Hi Dennis, I am SO excited for you! I am a rookie too but here is the only advice I have for you! Be prepared to talk about ALL of your positive attributes, job skills, and moments when you excelled or worked "outside the box" and even the workworld challenges you have faced. Congrats for the recognition you have earned with your 1/1 invite. You interviewed in Oakland like me did'nt you? Aren't they just an awesome inspirational group over there? Every last one of them! Keep me in the loop. Have you found the www.swa.flightattendants.org site yet? It is for all of us wannabe FA's and some really cool authentic FA's who take the time to share their knowledge with us! Go there for lots of insight! By the way when is your 1/1? Let us know asap! Steph ... View more

Go Dennis! ... View more

Hi Leigh, I really liked what you wrote and it sounds like you have your plan. Be patient and read all the posts. I applied 2 times before hearing back about a possible FA opportunity! Some people more than that! Good Luck and let us know when you get your GI invite! Steph ... View more

Thanks Kim and Good Luck with your next interview! I am SURE you are going to do well! Keep me posted! As for my base preference, since I literally live next to the runway at OAK, ( it took me 5 min to drive to and park at our GI and you know how close that was to the airport) I would choose Oak. I don't know enough about the commuting thing to make a second choice which is one of the reasons I was hoping to get validated on the chat board. I need to ask some questions of the experienced FA's about where would be the next best commute for me. From what I understand there might be a close base outside of Oak ( like San Jose) but to drive to it might take longer than flying to Sacramento. I don't know if that is true, just an example. See what I mean? ( Just scenarios, I understand I will very likely be based outside the state ) Anyway, I'm pretty sure Southwest will help me on this when the time comes. I would have to say that with my low senority, anywhere in Calif. would be a good wish to come true I think) I think they say that within a year or 2 a person might make it to the chosen base. I am going to have plenty of time to think about it while I pay my dues is my guess LOL!! Thanks Kim and enjoy your interview! Can't wait to hear about it! Steph ... View more

Dennis and Leigh, GO! is all I can say. And Leigh, it usually takes longer than 6 weeks to hear from what I have heard and experienced. Don't give up. I applied in 06' and heard back about a different job than FA. I passed on it. I aplied again in 07 and heard back after about 4-5 months I think it was. Well worth the wait. Many, many flight attendants work with small kids! You would need to be organized to do so I imagine. I personally chose to wait till mine were self sufficient to seek out the job. I could not figure out how to give my job 100% when I had little ones. That was a personal choice. I can now. Not to discourage you, but you need to know your plan! Good Luck and go for it if you can! Dennis, Good Luck! Look your BEST, Relax, and tell them what you can do and what you want to do for SWA and SMILE! Be happy to be there, be positive, it is alot of fun! And they are very nice people. Very professional and very friendly. Just like you need to be for this job! Best Regards, Steph let us know how it goes! ... View more

HI Shari, I want to thank you for taking the time out of what must be a busy schedule to reassure those of us here on the blog and chat board of the finer details of this wonderful but sometimes looong process of becoming a Flight Attendant! I myself have been cleared and plunked in the pool as of yesterday so I feel a little better but I have made some friends here who are days or weeks behind me in the process and I know how they feel and your letter must make them feel good. It gets a little nervewracking even though we are told no news is good news! We are all so excited and the Recruiters and Employment Coordinators do tell us what the time frame is but it just seems to take so long! We are alI so enthusiastic and eager. I imagine those qualities helped us get this far, along with the skill sets you mentioned of course! Anyway, one of the things that sold me on this Company was the fantastic people who work here in all the different areas! They are all so happy, positive and productive and work so well with such good will for one another. The management are all so down to earth and accessable too, like you! who just pops on here and blogs with us! Anyway, thanks for listening to us and I know I speak for alot of us newbies when I say we can't wait to be a part of this awesome team at Southwest!! Right Val, and Glomom and IFLYSWA and a bunch more. Sincerely, stefnyjane Steph Steph ... View more

For AB, Glo and Todd, Since I have a tendency to post long I will try to address the last 3 posts to me at one time. And impress the Grand Wizard behind the curtain ( Brian that would be you!) that I can keep it short and sweet. AB, I think I have heard that one person waited as long as a month to get a congrats email. Read the posts at swa.flightattendants.org and you might feel more encouraged and good luck! Keep us informed on your results. Glo, yes I am officially in the pool.Yeah! I called First Advantage and my packet had been sent back to SW June 21. I think some of my files had to be EXCAVATED since I had been to school so long ago LOL!! Anyway it got done and no one has tried to mount me in a museum or anything yet! I'm waiting for a training date. Wheeeee.. Todd I am just so sorry that things seem to be on the downs lately. Having been in your shoes ( and I am serious) where everything seems to go against your best efforts I really want you to remember one thing. You have your whole life ahead of you and figure this thing out. If it is SW Airlines or being a Police Officer or whatever, YOU get to make the call. Just sit down and really think about it and see what you really want to do and go for it. Ask a couple of trusted people who know you well to mentor you on your decision. Ask them how they picture you! Insist on the truth! Keep your mind open! They may see you as a chef! Then when you have decided what is best for you don't let anybody stop you! I wish you lots of luck and don't let the frustration get you! All of life is a learning experience, the good and the bad, believe me! steph ... View more

A shout out to GI friend Kim and my other new friends out there at Southwest. I am now officially treading water in the famed Inflight Training Pool! Splash! Steph ... View more

Hi Everyone, Steph here. You know I got to thinking, an internet essay like the one I indulged myself in above is'nt worth the air it is typed into if it does'nt make it's main point. All that emotion and excitement above and I forgot something so important! This has been bugging me all day. I explained at length why I would be a good fit for the job at Southwest but I forgot to mention what working at Southwest would mean to me personally. I need to explain that Southwest is my first choice in this career move because it is a wonderful company that only hires the best people, who continues to maintain high standards in service and employee quality when alot of other companies are making sacrifices in those areas for profits. In one of the toughest economic atmosperes for airlines in years they still care about their employees and their customers and they hold the line. That is really why I want to be at Southwest. What an honor to work for a company that good! what an opportunity. They are rare these days you know? OK thats it i promise! In a southwest "Nutshell"! Steph ... View more

Thank you Brian, nice to meet you and I sincerely hope that my post did'nt make you fall asleep at your desk for too long... I won't let that little box thing trick me again! steph ... View more

Kim I take your remarks as a true compliment and they mean alot to me. One reason that they do is because you did such an awesome job in our Group Interview and you were so poised and articulate in the personal intro phase of our GI. This is coming right back at you my friend, you can take whatever inspiration you want from my post above, I'm flattered, but don't you forget you have what it takes and don't you give up. I don't know why or what exactly the reason is that you did'nt get it this time but I think you can and you will next time around. You have what it takes too! Kim, I know I am lucky to get this far in the process and I'm grateful for it, but all I can say is you stay on task and keep flying high! I want to see you posting here in 6 mos. that you are back for a GI and I know you are going to do just fine. PS Thanks for reading that long thing above LOL! I was just typing away in that little box and I had no idea how long it was till it posted. I was horrified and embarrassed! Frankly still am! There is a huge paragraph structure error right in the middle! LOL! I'm waiting for one of the SW moderators to email me and say that I have used my blog allotment on this site for a year! Enough already!! Best Regards, Steph ... View more

Thank You BK for the invitation to type freely! I was a little afraid to use this blog in too personal of a way but I would love to answer the question of why I would like to be a flight attendant for Southwest! That question was asked at my GI and 1 on 1 but I don't think I answered as articulately as I could have due to a bit of nervousness! I would love the chance to address it further. For me it goes like this. I am a people person. I always have been. I get great happiness from making other people feel happy. I don't know why! It is such a simple and basic thing! My co-workers even tease me about it! Fondly of course! I have built my whole career on that one thing! My present job consists of performing customer service and relations everyday on all levels. From actual physical assistance of people, to answering questions, to solving problems they have involving money transactions or locating hard to find items in the retail setting. My job is to make customers feel welcome, attended to and satisfied when they walk out the door of my present company. I love the satisfaction I get from their smiling faces when they leave and I have helped them with any special requests they may have had. It is what has kept me working with the public at the same company for 22 1/2 years. I even turned down several promotion opportunities to stay with the public!!! The fact that my customers sometimes say so sincerely to me, "You are so nice and helpful! Thank You! Why can't more employees be as friendly as you!" Or one of my favorites, "You helped me solve this problem (locate item/ whatever) in less than 5 minutes and you are the 3rd person I have spoken too! I knew if I came to you that you would help me!" Sometimes they just give me that big happy smile! And working with the public means every day is different and exciting! There are new faces, new problems to solve, new smiles to see!!! I LOVE it!!! Those rewards may be trivial or unimportant to some, but to me they mean alot. I feel very lucky to be a people person because I feel it is a blessing to enjoy my fellow human so much! And I know that the fact is that there are many, many people who do not have the patience or personality to be around the public everyday and do what I do. I also enjoy very much my numerous fellow employees. The more the merrier! This begs the question of do I ever get frustrated and tired? Well of course!! I am human after all but to be an expert in customer service is to never let your smile slip and never lose that sense of professionalism. I may not be a surgeon or a bank president but there are lots of surgeons and CEO's who could never do what I do! I am sure of that! Flying for Southwest will be taking my skills to the next level in my skill set. Of course I started out as a teenager having all the usual attractions to this job that everyone else has! Who would'nt want to be young, attractive, footloose and fancyfree flying all over the place and meeting all kinds of fun people??!!!Those are the images of FA's that are in our minds from past decades. And they are good images because they opened the world of travel to everyone and made everyone want to GO GO GO! Well I myself am a bit older and more mature now! I actually know now a little of what these dedicated professionals actually do and it is hard work requiring extreme physical stamina, patience, mental flexability, and love ot your fellow man! I think it takes a sense of seriousness about the rules and regs of being in the air and taking every passengers personal safety very seriously. In short it is very similar to my job now but it is taking it to the next level, the air! There are going to be new skills to aquire!! I am so excited to expand my horizon this way. I am ready for a new challenge and to learn new things in this phase of my life, a phase that utilizes my people skills in an important way. Making people comfortable, safe and carefree while way up in the air is that next level. Getting passengers safely and happily to their vacations, business obligations and family/social events is what modern air travel is all about and I want to be a part of it! In closing, I considered going to nursing school or possibly becoming a police officer. Those would be other ways I could expand my skills and talents but flying for SWA is my first choice of course!! My personal motto is to do your best, aim high, and fly high! So here I am at age 49, ready to take off and do the things I do best for this historically great Airline! So BK, thats my answer to your question of why I want to be a part of the Southwest family! I've received my congrats call, now I am waiting to hear my paperwork is processed and I am GOOD TO GO! To all of you who read this, thank you for taking the time, and hope it was'nt too long... Steph "stefnyjane" ... View more

Hey Glo, Hi there! my GI and 1 on 1 was June 7th. I got a congrats call ( no email or letter) on June 16. Since then I have heard nothing! Nothing from First Advantage or SW! Finally I called last week to ask my status. The Employment Coordinator mentioned something about verifying diplomas and education taking longer this time of year. So as far as I know I am still in limbo. I asked if I would be informed when I was officially in the pool and she said yes. But I have heard of other folks on the chat board who never were notified, just got the class invites. I don't know what part of the country they were hired in so they may do it differently in different regions? But I am going on what the Coordinator in Oakland, Ca told me. I guess that means I am waiting for a call or email! Hey I am 49 (50 in Feb.) and I am really excited about this new career too! I'm glad you posted to me. I look forward to hearing more about your experience and maybe we will be classmates! Sorry if I repeated parts of my posts above but not sure if you read back that far! Stay in touch! Steph ... View more

I'm so sorry Todd! Don't give up! I firmly believe that there are fewer jobs than qualified people so maybe next time will be your time! Best Wishes! Steph ... View more

Todd I am so sorry! I hope you feel differently after the initial sting fades. At the beginning of this blog it says over 7,500 something people apply for these jobs in just one year and less than 900 are hired. I firmly believe that in that 7500 there are plenty of good people that deserve hiring but SWA just can't hire them all! Give yourself another shot. I wish you all the best and if I actually make it through all the stages I hope to hear you on the board again. Take Care, Steph ... View more