(BOLDs added by me)

Rule #1 when dealing with negatives in an interview: Own up to whatever it is. DO NOT play the 'blame game'.

Explain the situation factually, excluding the emotion.
Tell what you learned from the situation.
Show that you didn't repeat the mistake.

This formula works for traffic violations, checkride failures, poor gpa, etc.

As for any preferential interview program; don't count on ANY 'passes'. It is an interview at a major airline. Treat your interview prep as if you aren't going to get any 'credit' for where you work or how you got the interview. Be thankful that you get the interview and prep as if your career depends on it.

This is very sound advice. Heed to this DGIers.

If only Delta gave the same true blank slate to us during the SSP... They clearly blacklisted a number of pilots either because of application issues, being in the training department in a position that couldn't be vacated at the time or they hit their hiring quota and the rest were out of luck. The interview was obvious BS. Decisions were made before anyone arrived in ATL. Now I don't advocate anyone go pee on the guard shack but don't expect a job from this "deal" It's a carrot to keep people here, just as the SSP was, not a great path to mainline. It payed off for some but just as many will be left here and "TFAYD"

Yep - Flows, CPPs, DGIs, ETD, SSP... KFC - whatever you want to call it. They are all mechanisms to recruit and retain pilots at the regional level who are otherwise qualified to go to the maineline partner. If the majors really wanted you - they would have you.

I wonder what proof you have of this?

The hiring process is tough, and there are a lot of good pilots who didn't get the yes, but there is no evidence of blacklisting.

Now, if you're saying that pilots who had poorly completed applications had a difficult time, I could buy that, but that's not blacklisting. There is no evidence that being in the training department prevented people from getting hired and there is no hiring quota at Delta. There is plenty to show, however, that the hiring process is difficult and excellent applicants sometimes still don't get through it.

What should they go on? Hair color and nice cuticles?

Since our 1st flows back in 2010 I'd say around a 1000 pilots have come from pinnicolaba in some way or another. Just because you aren't at Delta doesn't mean it's a carrot. Especially to those 1000 pilots.

It's about ~700 before the DGI started, but remember, we had close to 3000 pilots in 2010. Around 600 of us are still here.

Yeah but ~100 of them said no to the flow or to the SSP because they wanna finish it out here.