The Brief
- A Conroe co-pilot is back to work in construction and roofing after the sudden shutdown of Spirit Airlines left him grounded.
- Brandon Keene says the job market is now flooded with over 2,000 pilots, making it much harder to find a new seat in a cockpit.
- Despite the difficult transition and the emotional toll on his family, he remains focused on networking to eventually find a new flying home.
CONROE, Texas – For 39-year-old Brandon Keene, the view from the cockpit was more than just a job—it was a passion represented by the small mementos he kept, including drawings handed to him by the children of passengers on his flights.
Now, those memories are some of the only things remaining from his career as a co-pilot for Spirit Airlines. Following the carrier’s sudden shutdown, Keene’s regular routes from LaGuardia to Houston have been permanently grounded, leaving the Conroe resident among thousands of aviation professionals searching for a new flight path.
A Turbulent Market
Local perspective:
This isn’t Keene’s first encounter with industry instability, but he says the current landscape is far more daunting than previous downturns.…