Southwest Airlines Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, Licence and Hiring Process
Southwest is the one US major that opens and closes its First Officer posting in windows rather than taking applications year-round — the posting was closed at the last check, after an industry tracker counted 794 Southwest hires between January and July 2026. The bar is higher than the FAA minimum: 2,500 hours total or 1,500 hours turbine, an FAA ATP with Airplane Multi-engine Land ratings, a First Class medical, age 23, a US driver’s licence and a passport. Destination 225° is the cadet, military and employee pathway. All 737, all First Officers.
Always confirm on the airline’s own careers page before applying. Every figure here is what the airline published at the date shown against it on our jobs board; entries marked Unconfirmed are ones whose requirements we found but whose current vacancy status we could not establish from the airline’s own pages. Vacancies open and close without notice.
Is Southwest Airlines hiring pilots now?
Not recruiting at the last check on 21 September 2026 — First Officer seat: Not recruiting; Captain seat: Not offered. Window-based hiring: 2,500 h total or 1,500 h turbine, FAA ATP, age 23+; the First Officer posting was closed at the last check
What the airline’s own material showed: Southwest’s own First Officer requisition (R-2026-70945, Dallas) exists on careers.southwestair.com but was reported closed to new applications when checked via search on 21 September 2026. Southwest opens its external First Officer posting in windows and closes it again rather than taking continuous applications; an industry tracker recorded 794 Southwest pilot hires between January and July 2026. Treat this as closed until the next window and watch the careers page.
Requirements, as published
| Requirement | As published by the airline |
|---|---|
| Licence | FAA ATP with Airplane Multi-engine Land category and class ratings |
| Minimum hours | 2,500 h total OR 1,500 h turbine total |
| Type rating | Not required — B737 type rating provided |
| Right to work | Established authorisation to work in the US; valid US driver’s licence; valid passport or Refugee Travel Document |
| Medical | Current FAA Class 1 Medical |
| Age | Minimum 23 |
Entry routes
- Direct entry First Officer — posting opens and closes in windows
- Destination 225° — Cadet track (US Aviation Academy), Military track, Employee track
- Direct entry Captain — not offered
Selection process
- Online application
- Flight Hours grid by aircraft
- Review by the Pilot Hiring Team
- Interview
- Offer
Bases and fleet
Bases: Dallas Love Field · Houston Hobby · Chicago Midway · Denver · Las Vegas · Phoenix · Baltimore · Orlando · Atlanta · Oakland
Fleet: B737-700 · B737-800 · B737 MAX 8
How to prepare
Southwest flies nothing but the 737-700, -800 and MAX 8, so the B737 bank is the whole technical syllabus. The application asks for a Flight Hours grid by aircraft and the interview is competency-based, so have specific stories ready for CRM, threat and error management and customer-facing situations; the ATPL banks cover the performance and weather knowledge the technical portion draws on. Watch the careers page for the next window — Southwest does not pre-announce it.
Then read the complete airline pilot interview guide for the HR and competency stages, and check Southwest Airlines’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.
What we could not confirm
- Researched on 21 September 2026 from search-engine results of the airline’s own careers pages, job postings and industry job boards — not from a direct read of the portal. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
- When the next application window opens — Southwest does not pre-announce it
These points are not published clearly by the airline. Treat them as leads, not facts, and confirm them on the careers page: careers page.
Common questions
Is Southwest Airlines hiring pilots right now? Not recruiting at the last check (21 September 2026): First Officer seat not recruiting, Captain seat not offered. Window-based hiring: 2,500 h total or 1,500 h turbine, FAA ATP, age 23+; the First Officer posting was closed at the last check Confirm on the airline’s own careers page before applying.
How many flight hours do you need to join Southwest Airlines? 2,500 h total or 1,500 h turbine. In full: 2,500 h total OR 1,500 h turbine total.
Does Southwest Airlines hire direct entry Captains? No. Southwest Airlines publishes no external Captain route; command is by internal seniority, and experienced Captains join as First Officers.
Does Southwest Airlines provide the type rating? Not required · B737 provided. In full: Not required — B737 type rating provided.
Do I need the right to work in United States? Established authorisation to work in the US; valid US driver’s licence; valid passport or Refugee Travel Document.
What is Southwest Airlines’s pilot selection process? Online application → Flight Hours grid by aircraft → Review by the Pilot Hiring Team → Interview → Offer
Prepare for the assessment, not just the application
Getting the interview is the easy half. v1prep has 16,000+ technical questions with every answer cited to its source — A320, B737, EASA ATPL theory and the FAA writtens.
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