Some thoughts..
First "xkuzme1" time to switch to decaf man and chill out a little bit.. The SWA requirement and Gulfstream have about as much in common as Ameriflight and UPS.. ie, not much other then still moving boxes..
With some very good first hand knowledge of AirTran I will tell you there are some good suggestions on here, however the best is to just be honest. If they ask about the type, tell them that SWA is one of your choices, and yet so is FedEx and JetBlue.. Trust me, I have been that guy at the job fair interviewing, and I have heard that 1000 times.. No big deal, just reality!
As far as pay, AirTran is not the best, but with the descent hourly (better then NWA, American, United for 737) and the 11% "B" fund retirement, it is not bad.. Plus who else has a 12 max duty day, and gets paid door close to door open, and has a 24-36 month upgrade? It is not too bad at all..

Hope it helps..

As I understand it, You buy a set amount of hours at Gulfstream, and are normally dismissed afterwards. It's really not a job, but payment for 121 ME.

Having a type rating for SWA is a little different. You are being hired and one of their qualifications is that you possess a 737 rating. You aren't buying a set amount of time in the right seat - you are being hired based on some credentials.

Got interview with no type
 

I got an interview with SWA with no 737 type rating. I don't think the type rating is that important to get an interview. Getting the job?, well I am afraid that is another kind of beast.

Okay--I'll dive in.

First--Airtran, UPS, Alaska and Frontier will all look twice at a 737 type. If you paid for it, it means you wanted SWA. They all lose people sometimes to SWA, and picking and choosing folks is tough enough. If its 50/50, I suspect they'll give the nod to the non-typed guy.

You guys that said you'd say "oh...I'd tell them IF they paid more then they wouldn't have to worry about ME..." Sure you would. That's why you are at a job fair, in a $400 suit, kissing everyone's ass...so you can put a hiring team member in their place. Right....:rolleyes: Everyone's a badass on the internet...

Second--do the math. SWA is a good career. However, they hire 20-25% of their interviewees right now. That means your 6-9 grand is a bet. Its not a casino bet--your quals, contacts, and interview skills help your odds--but its still a bet. Since UPS, Alaska, and Continental started hiring, I have seen a distinct number of my clients who HAVE NOT gotten the type and instead have accepted the lower percentage chance of getting called--but have applied to more carriers. Guess what--SWA is STILL calling and STILL hiring some folks without the type. Once hired--you can run your own numbers on whether or not the SWA PFT thing is worth it. I would argue most would say it is. However--there is an emerging trend in regional pilots and separating military types (who would be competetive at other carriers) to NOT get the type until hired.

So...what do you say to the SWA HR interviewer who says "why haven't you gotten the type?" during your interview? As you focus past the lovely picture frame on the desk (provided and engraved by Higher Power) and lovely bronze coffee mug (with the K&S logo...) you simply say "working at Regional x/with my pending separation from the AF/Navy I am trying hard to save money right now to prepare for this next critical step. I'm done the research and have gotten some study materials already, and if I am lucky enough to get hired my first call will be to _____ to lock down my training date". The type factories love to blow sunshine your way when you train there--but the fact is they sell a lot more types to people who NEVER get to work for SWA than they sell to people that do. Keep that in mind when you do your math...

Once you get hired--you can get the type where you want, based on price, convenience, etc etc. If you get the job--its a good investment. If you don't, you haven't just blown your own foot off with a very expensive self inflicted wound.

Plenty of guys hired at SWA without types. Plenty fast-tracked to interview WITH the type. Its your call. But it is still a gamble...

Just my take...