Pilots from an airline that went bust this week are being offered new jobs at rival carriers without being interviewed first.

The decision reflects the intense competition for pilots as airlines continue to struggle to meet post-pandemic demand for air travel.

Ric Wilson of Envoy Airlines, an American Airlines subsidiary, said it would offer pilots from collapsed Georgia-based ExpressJet "conditional job offers with no interview". Envoy operates flights under brands including American Eagle. 

He was responding to a statement by another AA-owned regional airline, Piedmont, in which it said it would offer jobs to ExpressJet pilots as they were able to fly the Embraer planes it also operates.

ExpressJet filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, blaming "market and economic conditions".

Matt Kernan of Piedmont said pilots with five years' experience at the failed airline, which operates in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, could earn at least $160 an hour by joining Piedmont.

"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," Kernan said.

The recruiting efforts of both Envoy and Piedmont reflect an airline industry gripped by a staffing shortage that looks unlikely to abate any time soon, as regional operators fight to stop pilots joining larger operators.