I've heard the same from NJA pilots... they're so swamped with apps that they are using internal letters of rec. pretty heavily. If you have a NJA pilot walk it in, with a few NJA pilot recs on it, you'll get called lickety split.
Apparently, it also helps a lot to be a Flexjet or charter pilot. Some NJA guys I know said they're souring rapidly on the airline guys because of a few bad apples. I have a couple airline friends who applied long ago and haven't heard anything... on the other hand, I know charter guys who have gotten an interview within a couple months of applying. If you know an airline guy going to interview, tell them to shift his/her frame of mind! It's not airline flying. I know too many good airline guys who want in for a few goobers to screw it up.
Good luck to all!