I would not risk missing the interview because you chose to fly in the day of. Flights do cancel,,,

I just did mine recently and it was very low pressure. That's not to say they don't ask questions that need a serious answer, just that they made it pleasant. I was able to pick from several dates/times for the in person.

36 minutes to be exact.
Yeah I am choosing to fly in early as well, just one less thing to worry about, plus it would really suck to miss an in person interview because of a mechanical issue or weather.

interesting…..what prep program, if any, did you use, and would you say it made a difference ?

I used Spitfire Elite and felt very well prepared.

I used Emerald Coast and felt prepared, not because it gave me the answers but gave me a framework to work with on the LOI. The LOI team specifically said they weren’t looking for the “textbook, prepped answer” so I took what I had learned and modified it. If your logbook is tight and you have the numbers they ask for easily accessible the review becomes more of a conversation hitting a few more HR type questions. I felt it was very low threat and had a good talk with my logbook review FO.

For whatever reason, the SWA interview team appears to disfavor the Emerald Coast program. I’ve heard of a SWA interviewer who suggested he could “spot an Emerald Coaster a mile away.” The implication may be that one digs himself into a hole when he is invariably recognized as someone who utilized their services, thus having to be even more impressive to earn the position.

Furthermore, it is suggested a common reason for rejection is a candidate’s inability to reveal her true nature during the interview process. Said differently, she failed to show who she really is, which gave pause to the decision makers, whose job it is to make hiring recommendations based on her true nature.

Presenting an overly-prepped facade and mistakenly thinking the purpose of the interview is to give so-called “great” answers to TMAAT questions and make solid, timely decisions in the LOI seems to be the downfall of many great candidates.

Instead, consider working with a friend, mentor, or, if need be, a service that will help you effectively organize your thoughts and present them sensibly without taking the “you” out of your experiences. When it comes to the LOI, consider how a sense of urgency and a difficult problem might simply be tools an interviewer uses to peek behind the curtain at the “you” you really are when you’re not paying close attention to your presentation (in favor of solving the problem and making a decision).

Good luck to all of you!

Lol. Just kidding. She got the job.

Did you apply in this current hiring window? I am curious if they are already calling folks that just applied.

Did not pay for prep. Most of the free advice out there is just as good. Just be yourself - there really are no tricks or hacks to get the call.

I made up a mental framework on how I would handle the LOI on the day of the LOI after the briefing that tells you what to expect. Work through the problem until the clock ticks “0”. Then with the paper and pen that they give you, write an honest critique on your performance. This is more important than your actual performance.

Side note-yes work the problem until the time is up, but be sure that there is a decision made in that time. You can critique it in the debrief.