I was in the last SWA new hire class and can affirm that this rumor is false. There were several who accepted offers elsewhere who otherwise would have been in our class. No surprise there as the hiring picture has changed somewhat and pilots have more options today than yesterday.

It is my understanding that SW no longer hires into a pool. Many in our class were hired without the 737 type and needed to get the type prior to class start date, hence many of us being lumped into the final class of 2014.