Skip to main content

UNO Tapped by Jet Linx and Southwest for Pilot Pathways Program

  • published: 2019/08/19
  • contact: Sam Petto - University Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
Southwest Airlines airplane

On Thursday, Aug. 1, Southwest Airlines launched a new career program in partnership with Jet Linx Aviation and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, along with three other universities and five industry partners.

The Destination 225° program provides pathways for students in collegiate aviation programs to become competitively qualified candidates for future Southwest First Officer positions. On a compass, 225° is the southwest directional heading, and Destination 225° was developed to lead aspiring pilots to Southwest Airlines.

The pathway will put participating UNO Aviation Institute students on a career pathway that begins at Jet Linx or any of the other Destination 225° partners, including CAE, Bell Murray Aviation, US Aviation, XOJET Aviation and Swift Air. University partners include UNO, Arizona State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and University of Oklahoma.

Maverick aviators accepted into Destination 225 will be on course to work with the nation's premier aviation companies..."

 Scott Tarry, director, UNO Aviation Institute

Future aviators who apply, interview, and are selected for the Destination 225° program will receive a Southwest mentor during their years of training, be invited to Southwest for training activities and events, and ultimately apply for selection as a Southwest Airlines First Officer. Participants will go through comprehensive training and a continuous evaluation process that will allow them to meet or potentially exceed Southwest’s competitive hiring qualifications while preparing to be safe and efficient pilots who fly "the Southwest Way.” There is no cost to apply to the program; however, candidates advancing through the selection process will be responsible for all costs incurred for their respective training programs.

“Destination 225° will allow us to develop world-class pilots who are ready to fly ‘The Southwest Way,’” said Alan Kasher, Southwest’s vice president of flight operations. “This comprehensive pilot development mission is designed to make becoming a Southwest Pilot an attainable goal for passionate, qualified individuals.”

“Students in our professional flight program are already benefiting from the increased demand for pilots, but Destination 225° and this exciting partnership offers a unique opportunity for our students," said Scott Tarry, director of the UNO Aviation Institute. "Maverick aviators accepted into Destination 225° will be on course to work with the nation’s premier aviation companies as they train to become professional pilots and begin the pursuit of a career in aviation. We’re excited to be a part of this program and can’t wait to see our students take full advantage of this fantastic opportunity.”

The UNO Aviation Institute offers students flight instruction and education in areas such as air traffic control; airport management; airline operations; aviation safety and security; as well as a new program in unmanned aircraft systems. Through classroom instruction, numerous extracurricular activities, simulation, and flight hours, students develop the skills they need to be successful in the aviation industry. UNO’s competitive student aviation team, the Flying Mavs, is one of the most successful in the country, with recent top 10 finishes in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s annual Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference competition. Maverick students also won the Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program design competition for airport innovation.

For more information about UNO’s Aviation Institute, please visit: aviation.unomaha.edu

For more information on Destination 225°, please visit: https://careers.southwestair.com/d225