Each SkyWest pilot has their own story of what motivated them to become a pilot and their own unique reasons for why they love to fly: Some love the thrill and exhilaration of leaving the ground, while others enjoy the privilege and responsibility of flying one of SkyWest’s 482 aircraft as they bring travelers to their intended locations. Still others love the beauty and freedom only experienced from a bird’s-eye view. Check out our video below where we asked a few of our pilots why they love to fly!
Because of this passion and drive carried by our employees, SkyWest has been named among the World’s Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE! SkyWest looks forward to continuing to welcome passionate pilots to our team. Interested in joining? Apply here!
SkyWest was pleased to host a ribbon cutting ceremony and recruiting event at our new Oklahoma City Airport (OKC) hangar on Thursday, marking the latest addition to our impressive maintenance footprint! The ceremony was attended by local dignitaries including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Chair Rhonda Hooper.
This new SkyWest maintenance base will support SkyWest’s flying for every partner and every aircraft type in our fleet. At 135,000 square feet, the new space will be able to accommodate up to nine overnight aircraft and will eventually be the workplace for 100 Maintenance team members.
The OKC base will be a pivotal piece to maintaining SkyWest’s unmatched reliability as its geographical location supports the entire SkyWest route system and will also support future growth.
This new hangar required much planning and execution from a number of SkyWest team members. Thank you to everyone on the SkyWest team who put in tireless work to prepare this beautiful new facility for operation. And, thank you to our OKC team (and a warm welcome to our newest SkyWest team members) for your daily commitment to safety and reliability as you work on the SkyWest fleet.
Interested in joining the SkyWest team? Click here for open positions in OKC and throughout the SkyWest system.
SkyWest pilots have more opportunity, exposure and access than any other regional pilot. With over a dozen domiciles, a fleet of over 360 airplanes, and flying agreements with four mainline partners – United, Delta, American and Alaska, SkyWest has excellent quality of life for every First Officer. And in addition, SkyWest has the best training in the industry.
From the moment an aspiring pilot completes an application and passes a pilot interview, they start to experience this unmatched training first hand; staring with the SkyWest Certification Training Program (CTP).
“CTP was both hard work and a lot of fun,” SkyWest First Officer Cory Schenker said. “It’s very easy for this wealth of new knowledge to become overwhelming but SkyWest utilizes just the right people with just the right enthusiasm to keep it fun, engaging and highly informative.”
Once a pilot’s application and interview have been accepted, SkyWest will provide the means to complete a SkyWest approved CTP course, which introduces pilots to SkyWest’s rigorous training, while also preparing them to have a smooth transition into ground school.
“I thought [CTP] was great, especially for people like me coming straight from general aviation,” SkyWest First Officer Adam Crismon said. “It was nice to have an introduction into jet aviation and a basic understanding of what to expect before training. I really enjoyed the classroom information and how it directly related to SkyWest instead of a generic example.”
Part of what sets the SkyWest CTP course apart is that the instructors are all current SkyWest pilots.
“For me, the real benefit of CTP is that the same instructors teach both CTP and the new hire classes,” Cory said. “I didn’t realize just how much the instructors were preparing me to succeed.”
Another benefit of the SkyWest CTP course is that students will be training in the aircraft you will be flying as a pilot at SkyWest. The 10 hours of simulation time will also count toward your total hours.
“I really liked the fact that we were in the same type simulator as what we were going to be flying and training in,” Adam said. “I found that as a huge step up and boost in training efficiency.”
“The 10 hours you get in the sim during CTP is extremely valuable,” Cory said. “Becoming familiar with SkyWest procedures, callouts and the airplane itself takes time. When I began sim training I was able to hit the ground running as opposed just get familiar.”
Travel and hotel accommodations, a 65 hour monthly training guarantee, and a CTP study partner are just a few of the other benefits pilots who go through SkyWest’s CTP have.
“Overall I was very happy with the CTP program and would highly recommend it to anyone entering the commercial airlines aviation industry,” Adam said.
From day one, SkyWest Airlines gives pilots industry leading training. It’s just one of the many reasons SkyWest pilots have more opportunities than any other regional pilot and are sought after by every major airline. Take Control of Your Career. Apply online today.
SkyWest Flight Attendants are safety professionals who enjoy helping others with a smile. They have the confidence and training to handle any situation they may encounter, both on the ground and at 35,000 feet in the air. To join the dynamic InFlight team and earn a pair of wings, follow these steps:
Group interviews follow the same format at all locations: Applicants should wear business attire, bring a resume and check in for the group interview between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. InFlight recruiters will give a brief presentation about SkyWest, the Flight Attendant position requirements and the available training class dates
There is a short break for applicants to ask questions and consider the requirements, such a potential relocation, schedule flexibility and the ability to attend the 31 days of training on the dates available
Applicants continue with the interview process by each taking a turn explaining, in one minute, why they would be a great Flight Attendant to the group
Immediately following, recruiters review resumes and notes on their presentations
A list will be posted of the applicants selected for an individual interview that night
Following the one-on-one interview, applicants will be notified within two weeks of the results, and if selected for the Flight Attendant position, the email will contain a conditional offer of employment and ask the applicant to confirm or decline the offer
Those who accept the offer will be confirmed in an InFlight Initial New Hire training class and emailed a study packet two to three weeks prior to their class date
Training focuses on safety and applicants must adhere to the guidelines and policies set forth and successfully complete the curriculum
Following training, new SkyWest Flight Attendants begin their dynamic and exciting role which allows them to travel, meet new people and take on new challenges every day.
In late August, a couple was traveling through Gillette, Wyoming when they received a phone call no parent ever wants to receive: their son had been in a car accident in West Virginia and was being taken by Life Flight to a nearby hospital. They felt helpless being so far away from home and unable to rush to the hospital to be with their son.
That’s when Don Mortimer, a SkyWest cross utilized agent in Gillette, noticed their distress. Don stayed at the airport two hours after closing to help them find a way home. He didn’t want to leave until new flights were booked and he had them checked in.
Don Mortimer – SkyWest cross utilized agent
But Don didn’t stop there. The next morning, he met the couple at the airport and continued to help them through their terrible situation. He ended up flying with them to Salt Lake City to ensure they made their connecting flight home.
With Don’s well wishes, the family made it home and was at their son’s side when he passed away two days later.
In a letter describing their experience, the family expressed their gratitude for the compassion and kindness Don showed by giving them precious moments with their son; something that they will never forget.
“Thank you, Don, for giving us those last few hours with him. We will forever be grateful. We just wanted SkyWest to know that they have a very special person working for them and he went above and beyond. Let him know how much we appreciate him.”
Don’s actions are a great example of the effort that many SkyWest employees make every day to provide exceptional care to their passengers and to help those around them.
Safely operating 1,700 daily flights to nearly 200 cities across North America is no easy task, and no one does it better than the SkyWest team! That’s because everyone works together and they continually go above-and-beyond. To recognize the hard work being done by countless teams across the country, SkyWest designates one week every year as Appreciation Week.
This year, Appreciation Week was filled with games, food, team parties and much more, including:
Dunking coworkers and raising money to help fellow employees in need…
Vice President of Market Development Greg Atkins takes a dunk in the tank set up by the Operational Control Center Department at SkyWest HDQ.
Shoe shines…
Minneapolis Assistant Chief Pilot Chris Mayer shining Captain Strohshein’s shoes!
And just hanging out to enjoy a meal together.
Teams around the country celebrated with various events!
SkyWest’s 10,700+ aviation professionals are some of the best in the industry and celebrating Appreciation Week is just one example of how the airline is working to be the employer of choice!
Julie Hafen – a CRJ first officer for SkyWest Airlines, discovered aviation as a teenager and has been hooked ever since. Check out how she got started as a pilot and what a typical day is like for her at SkyWest.
As a teenager, I always thought I would enjoy flying and traveling for my career, but it never occurred to me that I could actually be the pilot until I was 17 years old. I took an intro to aviation class at my local college and fell in love with aviation. Problem was, however, that I had never even set foot on an airplane, let alone flown one. So for my 18th birthday, my parents flew me to Texas, where my grandfather, who had his private pilot’s license, took me flying.
When I got home from that trip I immediately registered for the aviation degree at Utah Valley University and started my training in the fall of 2003. A few years after I started my schooling and flight training, I earned my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). I instructed for five years because I got hooked – hooked on the feeling of being able to help others earn their wings…giving others their dreams. For me, it was by far the best way to build time toward becoming a commercial pilot.
I decided to apply at SkyWest Airlines after attending the Women in Aviation conference in 2012. I was happy fight instructing, but after speaking to the numerous pilots at the SkyWest booth, I decided I wanted to take the next step and become a SkyWest pilot. There were many airlines I spoke to at this conference, but the pilots at SkyWest were the most friendly and easy to talk to, and it was clear that they enjoyed their careers. After months of studying I felt ready for an interview and submitted my application.
SkyWest interviewed me shortly after, and I was officially hired only days after my interview. Once hired, I had two weeks to get all my documents ready and to prepare for ground school. Training was a whirlwind of more learning than I even knew possible, but it was worth it. It took me a few months after training to feel completely comfortable as a first officer, but I knew I made the best decision by changing my career from a flight instructor to an airline pilot.
Here is a tiny glimpse of a day in my life at SkyWest:
I show up for work at least 45 minutes prior to our first departure and spend a few minutes meeting the crew; I have had the opportunity to fly with some pretty great captains and flight attendants at SkyWest. Together we look at any deferred items on the aircraft (inoperative items that are not required to be fixed immediately), the weather and any other pertinent information for the flight.
Once we head out to the aircraft we each have our duties that need to be completed before we depart. Typically the first officer is the one to do the walkaround/preflight inspection while the captain completes some checklist items.
After the passengers and baggage are on the plane, we complete a weight and balance (it’s not just something for general aviation), and figure out our speeds for takeoff and cruise. On the plus side, we don’t always have to do it by hand.
Before we start the engines for the first flight each day – we might fly one to six legs in a day – the captain and I decide who will fly which legs. Some captains like to alternate each leg, some like to always fly first… it doesn’t really matter, but know that you will generally be flying as much as the captain is – they don’t get to have all the fun. And whoever is flying will do a briefing before each flight including the current weather, expected taxi route, departure procedure, pertinent NOTAMs, etc.
Julie with her all-female flight crew on the recently retired EMB120
If we are done with our day early enough, we will usually get together as a crew to do something fun. There are such great people at SkyWest, it is great being able to hang out outside of work and to get to know each other a bit better.
My quality of life at SkyWest has been so much better than it was as a flight instructor. As an instructor I worked 10-14 hour days for five or six days a week. It was rewarding work, but it was a lot of work. At SkyWest, I usually work four days a week and get paid for more hours than I did when I was teaching. I am also able to be home much more and spend time with the people that matter most to me. Quality of life is very important to me, which is one of the reasons I chose SkyWest over the other regional airlines out there.
Flying isn’t really work for me; it’s more like a hobby that I get paid for! Of course there are frustrating days that get interrupted with weather or maintenance delays, but for me those days seem few and far between. I am happy with the career I chose. I have been at SkyWest for almost three years, flying the EMB 120 Brasilia and now the CRJ, and have never regretted my decision to work for such a great company.
SkyWest was pleased to host a ribbon cutting ceremony and recruiting event at our new Oklahoma City Airport (OKC) hangar on Thursday, marking the latest addition to our impressive maintenance footprint! The ceremony was attended by local dignitaries including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Chair Rhonda Hooper.
From the moment an aspiring pilot completes an application and passes a pilot interview, they start to experience this unmatched training first hand; staring with the SkyWest Certification Training Program (CTP).
Once a pilot’s application and interview have been accepted, SkyWest will provide the means to complete a SkyWest approved CTP course, which introduces pilots to SkyWest’s rigorous training, while also preparing them to have a smooth transition into ground school.
Travel and hotel accommodations, a 65 hour monthly training guarantee, and a CTP study partner are just a few of the other benefits pilots who go through SkyWest’s CTP have.
