“Woke” Southwest Airlines Using Non-Pilots to Hire New Pilots

According to an interview with 10 airline industry employees, including pilots and flight attendants, most with over 20 years of experience, their corporations’ “woke” commitment to DEI and ESG could lead to a literal disaster. Focusing primarily on the previously visionary Southwest Airlines, these employees talk about a possible slow corporate suicide.

The employees say the airlines are hiring for “diversity” over knowledge and experience. Janice Hisle, at The Epoch Times, wrote, “While no one thinks the policies are causing an imminent threat of a plane falling out of the sky tomorrow, all the interviewees agreed that each time a standard is lowered, or a less-qualified employee is hired, the risk that something can go horribly wrong inches forward a notch or two.”

Southwest may now be trending toward non-pilots hiring pilots to advance “equity.” “Every airline is trying to push forward with minority hiring because… ‘they care,’ aviation analyst Jay Ratliff said. ‘They’re being asked, ‘How many women are within your pilot ranks? … How many pilots of color?’”

A Southwest pilot noted the population is about one-third white males. However, the airline has a “woke” goal of half their new pilot hires being “women or people of color.” Southwest was proud they “exceeded the goal,” with “80 percent minorities and women.” A pilot called it, “DEI special-status hiring on steroids.”

Is Southwest “Seeking the Best (Non-White) Pilots?” Some suggest there could be a “pattern of discrimination against… white men…,” especially with military backgrounds, which were previously considered “highly sought-after job candidates.”

One former military pilot may lend credence to this suspicion. After applying for a job with Southwest, he said they never contacted him even for an interview. He learned a woman got the job instead. The issue wasn’t that she was a woman, but that she wasn’t a captain like he was, but only a first officer with half his experience.

Southwest pilots are also concerned that after 51 years, the airline has put a non-pilot in charge of hiring pilots. Formerly, the “system chief pilot” oversaw hiring new pilots. Now, according to pilot union President Casey Murray, “We are just a single step away from hiring pilots based upon mere reviews of their resumes.”

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Steve Pomper

Steve Pomper is an author, freelance writer, and retired Seattle police officer. During his career, he served as a field training officer, on the Community Police Team, and as a mountain bike patrol coordinator. He’s written five books, including The Obama Gang and De-Policing America, and he is a contributor to the National Police Association and a freelance writer for The Tatum Report.

Originally from New England, he’s a Boston sports fan. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Jody, a retired firefighter. He enjoys spending time with his adult kids and three grandchildren.