IMHO, We're hiring because we were still turning away work... It seems they just never had the staffing to do it all. Now they're accepting/soliciting new flying we didn't used to do. We picked up a bunch of sport teams recently for example.

IMHO, There is likely no shortage of companies offering to fly cheaper, but it's getting to the point that completion factor will drive the contracts, and that requires staffing. Pilots are the new currency, and those with the staffing will get the work. It won't happen all at once, it won't happen fast, but it is happening.