Pilots from a bankrupt airline were just offered jobs by a competitor without a single interview

Pilots are in high demand lately -- such high demand, in fact, that pilots from the recently defunct ExpressJet Airlines are finding themselves with new job offers, without so much as an interview, days after their employer declared bankruptcy.

Piedmont Airlines, a regional airline based in Maryland and subsidiary of American Airlines, announced Thursday that it would offer ExpressJet pilots conditional job offers based on seniority. The offer is based off of language in Piedmont's pilot contract, negotiated in 2021 with the largest pilot union in the world, the Airline Pilots Association, that allows for the company to offer a "safe haven for employment" for pilots at "distressed" carriers, according to the company.

The offer isn't just coming from Piedmont Airlines, either. American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air "has the same provisions and we are offering ExpressJet/Aha pilots conditional job offers with no interview," according to Ric Wilson, Vice President of Flight Operations from Envoy Air.