Southwest Flight Attendant Interview Guide

Southwest opens flight attendant applications in hiring windows, then sends a one-way video interview and invites successful candidates to an in-person day in Dallas with a panel interview. Here's what each step involves and how to prepare.

Last checked October 2026 against Southwest Airlines's careers pages and candidate reports.

The hiring process, step by step

1. ApplicationOnly during open hiring windows. Southwest asks for applicants who are at least 20 with a high school diploma or GED; college is preferred.
2. One-way video interviewA recorded interview, sent to candidates in batches. More on this below.
3. In-person day in DallasSouthwest invites selected candidates to an interview session in Dallas: an information session with other candidates, then a Q&A with its flight attendant interview team. Southwest says it doesn't run group interviews.
4. Panel interviewOn the same day: a panel with a recruiter and a current Southwest flight attendant.
5. Screening and trainingEmployment screening, then four weeks of training in Dallas. Southwest says training is unpaid, with a stipend on graduation.

The recorded interview

Southwest doesn't publish the format of its one-way video interview, and candidate reports on timing are thin. Expect behavioural questions and prepare as if you'll have little time to think.

Southwest is known for hiring on personality as much as polish. A recorded answer that sounds rehearsed word for word works against you here; know your stories well enough to tell them naturally.

Candidates are commonly asked which part of Southwest's culture they connect with. Have a specific answer, tied to something you've actually done.

What Southwest looks for

Southwest's Employee Promise asks for a Warrior Spirit, a Servant's Heart and a Fun-LUVing Attitude, and its purpose is to connect people to what's important in their lives through friendly, reliable, low-cost air travel. Good Southwest stories show all three at once: you kept going, you put someone else first, and you kept it light without dropping standards.

Questions candidates report

Paraphrased from candidate reports. Expect different wording, and questions built around the same themes.

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why Southwest, and why this job?
• Tell us about a time you went above and beyond.
• Which part of Southwest's culture do you connect with?
• Describe a time you used humour at work, and how you judged it was appropriate.
• Tell us about a time you delivered bad news to a customer.

Where answers lose marks

• Hypothetical answers. "I would stay calm and listen" isn't an answer to "tell us about a time". Recruiters are marking what you did, not what you'd do.
• "We" instead of "I". Crew work is teamwork, but the interviewer can only mark your part. Say what you did.
• All setup, no ending. Spending most of the time on the situation and never saying how it turned out. The result is often the part that scores.
• A "why us" that fits any airline. If your answer would work unchanged for a competitor, it isn't an answer about this airline.

Requirements at a glance

Minimum age

20 when you apply

Education

High school diploma or GED; college preferred

Physical

Lift 20 lb alone, reach overhead, fit through the overwing exit and the jumpseat harness without an extension

Passport

Valid and unexpired

Bases

13; Southwest closed and reopened bases in 2025 and 2026, so check your posting

Training

4 weeks in Dallas, unpaid, with a hotel, a $425 food card and a $1,200 stipend after graduation

Screening

Background check and pre-employment drug screen

Because Southwest hires in windows, a missed chance can mean waiting for the next one to open. Candidate guides say unsuccessful in-person candidates wait six months to reapply; Southwest doesn't publish this.

Tattoos, piercings and appearance

Southwest's appearance standards allow visible tattoos on the arms, legs, feet and hands (one per hand, up to the size of a quarter), but not on the face, neck or chest, and nothing offensive. Facial piercings aren't allowed on duty, except a single nose stud of 2mm or less.

What to wear to the interview

Southwest doesn't publish an interview dress code. Most candidates wear a suit; some go a step down to dress slacks and a shirt without a jacket. The culture is relaxed, but the interview is still an interview: dress business professional and let your personality show in your answers rather than your outfit.

How long it takes

Southwest hires in windows rather than year-round; the most recent one opened in April 2026. Within a window, video interview invitations go out in batches, so two applicants can wait very different lengths of time, and candidates report their status sitting unchanged for days or weeks between steps. Southwest doesn't publish a timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Airlines change their process between hiring rounds. Always follow the instructions in your own invitation, and check Southwest Airlines's official careers page. Jumpseat Prep is independent and not affiliated with Southwest Airlines.

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