It's still a crapshoot with pilot credentials. The tour was great, and they were very welcoming. The one on one's were disappointing. Not just my opinion, but others that i spoke with agreed. Very little helpful info was given and very little time was really spent with the one on one's. I heard one person was told he should become a director of ops to make himself more competitive (that's kind of an odd suggestion, and not very helpful). Others were told to get the 737 type. In all, I don't think you were better off attending versus not. Time will tell though.

The issue, in my opinion, is that it is difficult to distinguish ourselves from one another. Many backgrounds are fairly similar (hence the crapshoot). Also, I noticed that many of the "one on one" Southwest pilots seemed out of touch with the realities of life outside of Southwest and the other big 3 which means its hard for them to relate to some of the significant highlights and challenges that many of us have undertaken. Probably because they have been with Southwest for a while, and they have no reason to stay current with the industry as a whole.

Other highlights. Expect to put in some long hours when you are at work (that was mentioned). AQP for recurrents, but not initials. And keep flying and be safe.

I don't think these airlines have been able to figure out the best way to find ways to properly distinguish between candidates. Until then, its luck of the draw, in my opinon.