Originally Posted by
dera
Transferring to a new airline is simple as E-3 but just like you say, it will be interesting to see if they really want to complete that or just keep them as regional seat filler.
Probably depends on where they need them most at the time.
But also... E-3 is not a greencard, it expires after a few years and if the fed were to not renew them for some reason AA could lose those pilots again. They might prefer to spend their limited training bandwidth on people they know will be able to stick around.
I wouldn't consider an E-3 to be a reliable basis for career planing in the US aviation industry.