Piedmont Airlines has come to the rescue for many pilots that worked for ExpressJet Airlines, which has recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The airline has begun to offer ex-ExpressJet Airlines pilots conditional offers to join their cabin crew.
A helping hand
On Thursday Piedmont Airlines, one of America’s regional airlines located in Maryland, announced that it would provide ExpressJet Airline pilots conditional offers based on superiority. The airline, unfortunately, did not survive the Coronavirus pandemic, leaving thousands unemployed. Piedmont Airlines’ decision to help defuse stress for ExpressJet’s employees left redundant comes after Piedmont Airlines and the world’s largest pilot union ‘The Airline Pilots Association’ developed a contract in 2021, enabling the airline to play the role of a “safe haven for employment” for pilots working for airlines that are under crisis. The creation of this contract certainly offers pilots a sense of relief and security during a worrying period of redundancy.
Matt Kernan, Piedmont Airlines Director of Operations, says,
“Piedmont added distressed carrier language to its pilot contract last year before anticipating the fragility of some regional carriers after 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, and we are very pleased to make this transition as easy as possible for them.”
What happened to ExpressJet Airlines?
ExpressJet Airlines is one of many airlines that have been forced to shut down as a result of the economic crisis created by the pandemic. In April 2020, The Centre for Aviation (CAPA) predicted that “most airlines will be bankrupt” and will not receive any aid to survive it. Unfortunately, this was deemed true for ExpressJet Airlines which admitted that the pandemic resulted in a “lack of availability of aircraft, lower revenues, and rising costs.” Before closing down, ExpressJet Airlines had not been the most stable of airlines and had been forced to change ownership multiple times. The most recent change made to the airline was its name change to Aha! Airlines. Flights from this airline would operate from Reno-Tahoe International Airport. However, Aha! Airlines was not able to survive for more than a year, leading to the permanent downfall of ExpressJet Airlines.
Hope for ExpressJet pilots
Pilots facing redundancy over the past two years has become a significant issue. Statistics gathered from January 2021 proved that “over 1800 pilot jobs” were either at risk or had been lost. Many pilots have been forced to go as far as changing their careers completely and leaving the aviation industry due to losing to being left redundant. Piedmont Airlines’ decision to provide well-trained pilots from ExpressJet the opportunity to continue gaining an income and share their expertise with the airline’s cabin crew will only strengthen the aviation industry.
What do you think about Piedmont Airlines’ decision to offer ex-ExpressJet pilots vacancies? Comment down below.
