I’m not in the military and am not familiar with USERRA but I think the issue in the interview was the fact that your friend was on mil leave and unable to work for his current employer. I think the point they were trying to make was, why are you on mil leave if you have time to take off and interview for a civilian job mid-week? I could be way off target but just speculating.

I agree with most of the guys/gals here. It's not the smartest move to interview with a 121 airline while on military leave from another airline. Spirit has a strong demand for pilots and they are hiring aggressively to fill seats. There is no guarantee this person wouldn't do the same thing at Spirit,, i.e. take military leave again as soon as he gets a A320 type and seniority number at NK. I was in the guard myself before, and I commend the service to the country. But just trying to see things from the recruiting team's perspective.

I definitely agree about a companie’s concerns with someones motives and if they are going to tactically drop Mil leave, but is it legal for a company to openly not hire someone because of their military status?

I seriously doubt they openly gave a reason. He may have interpreted it that way, but HR will never show their cards.

Doesn’t sound like they didn’t hire him because of his military status, it sounds like they thought his personality sucked...

Goodluck proving Spirit is anti-military... they’ve got a long history of hiring military folks.

Your friend gets a below in headwork though...

So you are suggesting that Spirit openly didn’t hire this pilot because of their military status?

Here’s another take: I understand that Southwest routinely asks pilots if they called in sick to make it to the interview. They then call their HR to see if they were telling the truth. They don’t like people who abuse sick time, and check for integrity.

This seems similar. If you are on MIL leave, that time is to perform MIL functions, NOT shop around for a new CIV job.

Short answer to thread premise - No. Spirit HR uses due diligence to screen all prospective new hires, regardless of backgrounds.

I was given extra scrutiny during my interview, since my military background and boilerplate legacy resume left the perception of potential flight risk. I had to persuade HR that I planned to spend my future glory days in the left seat of a beautiful bright yellow Airbus, and after some poignant questioning, they were convinced of my sincerity.

Sandi and her team do a phenomenal job filling the flight deck with pilots that make my trips safe and enjoyable. This is a Herculean task, considering she’s managed to quadruple our flight staffing in less than seven years with no immediate end in sight... all with ULCC minded limited resources.

So, just like the unwritten rule of not calling in sick to attend a competitors job fair or interview, your friend might contemplate appearing on his own time for the next one. Consider it a learning experience and stop whining about discrimination. Best of luck on the next go around!

a "friend"....:rolleyes:

You’re making the assumption that that was the reason, which CANT BE PROVEN. Often imbedded isn’t so much what the question sounds like as it is the personality/integrity test behind it.

Airlines hire/don’t hire pilots with DUI’s

Airlines hire/don’t hire pilots with arrest records.

Airlines hire/don’t hire pilots with multiple failed check rides.

Airlines hire/don’t hire pilots that have had accidents/incidents/warning letters/letters of correction /violations.

Airlines hire/don’t hire pilots that “resigned” from former employers.

It’s usually in the follow questions and the answers given to that and other questions that are the determining factor.

No, because USERRA requires you to return to the employer from which you took USERRA Regulated Leave. I waited until I was back at my original carrier to apply.
Yes, a majority of the questions encompassed my time in the military and multiple deployments. Most of mine were due to my ability to speak two different languages that are in demand. They seemed to accept that answer.