Announced on Feb. 6, Southwest's new pilot minimums went into effect on Feb. 7, lowering the turboprop/turbine time requirement from 1,000 hours down to 500 hours. The airline says the rationale behind this decision is the willingness to increase opportunities for an airline pilot career to more skilled pilots. The airline has received backlash, however, with many questioning how this will affect the safety at Southwest. The airline has said, All future first officers will have to pass all the curriculum modules before being allowed to fly for Southwest, as it has always been."