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More disputed than ever, pilots leave “employed” in a recently bankrupt airline

Pilots are in high demand lately — demand so high, in fact, that pilots on the recently defunct ExpressJet Airlines are finding new job offers days after their employer declares bankruptcy.

Piedmont Airlines, a Maryland-based regional airline and subsidiary of American Airlines, announced Thursday that it would offer ExpressJet pilots jobs based on seniority.

The offer considers Piedmont’s pilot contract, negotiated in 2021 with the world’s largest pilots union, the Airline Pilots Association, which allows the company to offer a “safe haven for employment” to pilots “in distress”, according to the company. .

The offer doesn’t just come from Piedmont Airlines. Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, “has the same provisions and we are offering ExpressJet/Aha pilots conditional, no-interview job offers,” according to Ric Wilson, vice president of flight operations at Envoy Air.

Atlanta-based ExpressJet operated more than 450 aircraft at its peak, but the pandemic-induced problems dealt a fatal blow to the regional carrier.

The airline, which calls itself a “reboot” of the company that previously flew as Delta Connection and United Express, has filed for Chapter 11 on Monday (22) in Delaware and ended operations, according to the company’s website. They pointed to stifled growth, rising costs and lower revenue due to the pandemic.

“No one wants to see an airline fail, ever. We know that ExpressJet pilots are well-trained aviators who know the Embraer 145 [aeronaves]and we are delighted to make this transition as easy as possible for them,” said Matt Kernan, chief operating officer of Piedmont Airlines, in a press release Thursday.

“This is an opportunity to get significant pay and bonus increases for these pilots, accelerated job offers and, in the process, help Piedmont grow its fleet.”

The effort to attract experienced pilots from the company comes as Piedmont looks to expand its business and compete in a pilot-based aviation industry.

Despite efforts by airlines to hire more pilots, the pilot shortage in the US is set to get worse.

And that will be especially true for regional airlines like Piedmont, which serve smaller cities on behalf of major airlines like American Airlines.

It is mainly these pilots who are being hired to fly the larger jets.

Based on fleet forecast data from consulting firm Oliver Wyman and models for industry growth, it is expected that there will be a shortage of nearly 30,000 pilots in North America by 2032 if the industry does not resolve its staffing issues.

That’s nearly four times the predicted gap this year of 8,000 riders, which has already proven to be problematic.

According to the Regional Airline Association (RAA), two dozen markets served by regional airports have lost half of their service in the past three years — and that doesn’t include the rounds of cuts planned for later this year.

Another 42 markets lost between a third and half of their service in that period.

Behind the shortage of pilots is a confluence of trends, including the retirement of elderly Baby Boomers and significantly fewer job seekers from the military, as the use of unmanned drones steadily increased and there were fewer deployments.

Covid-19 has exacerbated the shortfall, with airlines offering pilots early retirement at the height of the pandemic.

When demand for travel soared in 2021, the pilot shortfall was so dramatic that it hampered the ability of airlines to get back on track, leading to flight delays and cancellations.

“Communities have been losing air service for most of the last decade,” said Faye Malarkey Black, CEO of the RAA.

“You don’t have to lose all your service to lose connectivity to the system. When you lose too much of your frequency, companies will not want to locate in one place.”

Additional reporting by CNN’s Chris Isidore, Geoff Murray, Andrew Medland and Rory Heilakka.

Source: CNN Brasil

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