'Let's Buy Spirit': Why Thousands Have Pledged $88M for Airline Campaign
Summary
Spirit Airlines suddenly stopped flying on May 2 after financial troubles and rising fuel costs forced the company to shut down. A viral online campaign called "Let's Buy Spirit" has raised about $88 million in pledges to try to buy and restart the airline as a community-owned company, but experts say this effort is unlikely to succeed.Key Facts
- Spirit Airlines ceased all flights suddenly on May 2 and grounded its planes.
- The airline faced financial problems, including bankruptcy and failed mergers with JetBlue and Frontier.
- Rising fuel prices and a failed $500 million government rescue package led to Spirit’s shutdown.
- Spirit Airlines had about 200 planes, mostly Airbus A320 jets.
- Thousands of employees lost their jobs, and passengers had to find new flights.
- The "Let's Buy Spirit" campaign began as a TikTok joke by Hunter Peterson, a voice actor and YouTuber.
- The campaign has garnered roughly $88 million in nonbinding pledges from tens of thousands of people.
- Spirit Airlines is not involved with or supporting the campaign in any way.
- Spirit was known as an ultra-low-cost carrier that helped keep air travel affordable for many people.
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