Airline Pilot Central Forums - Frontier Hiring.

I interviewed on 1 Nov and got the call yesterday for the 8 Dec class. I am stoked and can't wait to start! I talked to a few Captains and First Officers before the interview and they were all very open to helping me even though I hadn't met them in person. So, here's my breakdown of the process. It was pretty much just as Jughead posted earlier...

I am former Air Force and got the call out of the blue. I had no internal recommendations and I barely met the mins with 2700 mil converted hours. I got the phone call from the 720 area code on a Friday and the gentleman said I would get an email the following week with instructions for the interview. Sure enough, HR sent me an email the following week with a candidate profile (1 page) and a 10-year work history worksheet to fill out and return. I returned it that same day with a short note saying how excited I was to interview.

They offered to fly me out positive space, but I was planning on being out there already, so I didn't need the flight. I made a 2 night reservation at Staybridge Suites, literally across the parking lot. The interview process was going to last the entire day, so I decided to stay an extra night so I wouldn't have to worry about catching a flight at DIA later that evening. Interview attire for me was charcoal suit, white shirt, and red tie. Dress to impress!

I showed up at 7:50 and we were given visitor passes. We were then shown into the break room area and given PRIA paperwork to fill out. Brittney gave us instructions on how to fill out the paperwork. It took about half an hour. I recommend taking your time, writing neatly, and asking questions if you don't know exactly how to fill it out. I think they are watching your attention to detail here, so don't turn in the paperwork incomplete. They will call you back up in order to complete what you missed.

At 9, they pulled us into a room and we met our interviewers and runners. The runners were line pilots who volunteered to come in on their day off, which was great. After about a 15 minute presentation, the chief pilot asked for questions. A few of us asked questions, but they knew we had most of the gouge. They even mentioned that we could spread the word on the interview, but to not talk about the process amongst ourselves until after all the interviews were complete. At the end, they put up a rough schedule for the day. Each person was scheduled for a panel/tech interview and a Situation Based Interview (7 minute scenario). We were then taken back out to the break area to mingle amongst ourselves and with the runners.

The runners are part of the interview process just as much as the panel and the 7-minute scenario. I can be a little standoffish, but I made an effort to talk to everyone. It was great. We all shared stories and it seemed everyone in the interview was very qualified. I truly hoped at the end of the day that all of us would get the call. About 10 minutes before each of your scheduled times, the runner would take you to the room for the interview. They did an awesome job at pumping me up during the walk of shame and I felt they really wanted each of us to succeed. So, just be cordial and be positive, because the wall do have ears! Oh yeah, lunch was provided in the same room we received the earlier briefing. The chief pilot opened up the floor for more questions.

I did the 7-minute scenario first. It went just as mentioned here. I had an FO (the assistant chief pilot) and flight attendant (the chief flight attendant) flying with me and there was another pilot running the scenario. He gave a quick brief then asked if I had any questions. He gave me an iPad with weather info, a map, and some approach plates. It was pretty cool. My scenario was a cabin fire immediately after takeoff. I won't go into many technical details, but I maintained control and the radios with ATC and gave the iPad to the FO. I ran my plan through him and he was very helpful when I confirmed my actions through him. "ATC" will talk over you the entire time...take the reigns and say standby if you needed. I think they are looking for someone who can make a decision and run with it while getting the help of the crew. It was stressful, and it was over in a blink of an eye. I then debriefed the scenario critiquing my actions. Honestly, I don't know how I did because they won't give any feedback. The entire crew was very professional.

I went back to the break area for a few more hours to wait for the panel/technical interview. While waiting for my turn, I chatted up the runners, emphasizing how excited I was to get the opportunity to interview. The panel consisted of the Chief Pilot, 2 Captains, and Brittney from HR. I turned my logbook and Flight Time Summary to one of the Captains and he looked through it without asking any questions. They went out of their way to put me at ease. I was one of the last to go, so I was tired and I could tell they were as well. Here are the questions they asked that I remember:

TMAAT a captain made you uncomfortable.
Have you ever failed a checkride? (I initially said no, but when he mentioned "stage check", I came back and said I failed my T-38 Instrument checkride back in pilot training. While technically not a checkride, I went ahead and admitted it.)
Brief this Jeppesen approach (it was an ILS into DEN).
Read this METAR strip.
Can you continue the approach if weather drops after the FAF?
Why Frontier and have you applied anywhere else? (Be honest!)
Can you use VVI as a ceiling?
What is the TAT probe used for?
Do you have any violations, training failures, or letters?

It lasted about 25 minutes. I did my prep with Angie at Cage Consulting (highly recommended!!!) and none of the HR questions caught me off guard. I was too tired to be really stressed about it, so I just treated it like a conversation. They were all very easy to talk with!

At the end of the day, they brought us back together again for a quick debrief and to send us off. We got out of there a little before 5. As I left, I made it a point to shake the hands of all the interviewers and thank them for their time. They seems truly happy to be interviewing again and I left really wanting to work there. It seems like a great company and I can't wait to join the family!

My parting shots:

1. Don't make them call you back after you turn in your paperwork because you missed something. They give you very detailed instructions before you fill it out and they are there to answer questions. Same goes for your logbook and other products. Make them perfect and they won't ask questions!

2. Get to know the runners and other interviewees. I learned a lot about civilian aviation from everyone and the a lot about the company from the runners. They have a say in the process as well. Hanging around making small talk for most of the day was the toughest part. It was also the best part!

3. Let them know that you want to work there. I told every person I talked to that I was excited to be there. I think they can see the enthusiasm.

4. They change the questions...but none were unexpected. It will be straight forward.

Any questions, PM me and I'll help out as much as I can!