Originally Posted by 4everFO
Not all SWA pilots paid for their types...some got it from previous employers, for free, and then got hired at SWA (Falcon, Miami Air, Casino Ex., US Navy, etc..) I do believe, and this is just me, that the policy of buying a type in order to just get an interview is detrimental to the proffession. Especially when the airline in question is "the place to be" in the here and now.
There are alot of people out there that spent all of the time and money to get the type rating in order to buy the interview and then they get shot down from SWA. I guess that is the way the ball bounces.
FO
There's a big difference (IMHO) between being required to pay to get a job and being asked to obtain a type rating to interview.
In the first case, the payment is a condition of employment -- pay the money and the job's yours. The job goes to the one
who pays. In the SWA case, every single applicant made the choice to spend the money. Thus the hiring process is based on selecting among
equal candidates.
I considered the 737 type rating as nothing more than a very expensive application fee.
