Spirit Airlines’ demise earlier this month was the most visible airline bankruptcy in over a decade. The first Chapter 11 bankruptcy by a major airline in 11 years, Spirit’s closure was felt more strongly across the country than any recent airline closure.
All week, I have heard stories from various former Spirit employees about their time at the airline. Many have heard of the pilot who missed out on his retirement flight by one day, but I have also flown pilots commuting to visit friends impacted by the closure. An airport an hour from where I live in Pennsylvania was served only by Spirit; the abandoned Spirit planes I have seen across the country remind me how lucky many of us are to have our jobs, even those at regional airlines.
As difficult as this transition has been for many, I am also reminded of how incredibly tight-knit this industry is. Everything from preferential hiring to offers of free simulator time for Spirit pilots have been proffered in one context or another. The morning immediately after the closure, my employer sent out emails encouraging our pilot group to keep an eye out for Spirit pilots to make sure they got onboard commutes and deadheads back home or to their bases.
While I am sure that some level of preferential hiring is due to the experience and training that Spirit pilots have, I also know that each professional pilot in this industry has a strong emotional investment in caring for Spirit crewmembers, pilots and flight attendants alike. Each of us is affected by this closure, either due to its impact on hiring or because we know someone who was laid off. Many of us also know a pilot who started as a flight attendant, ramp agent, dispatcher, or intern–or are else close with someone in one of these roles–and therefore equally feel for those employees.
Aviation has a history of coming together in times of tragedy. The industry was unified around PSA and UPS employees after crashes last year, everyone felt the burden of furloughs at the start of the COVID pandemic, and we all held together during the financial crisis in 2008 and the bankruptcies and mergers that followed.
As big as our aviation industry can feel, it’s also incredibly small in many ways, and many hardships are felt by all. In one way or another, there is a strong shared experience and struggle that comes with years of flight instructing, multiple bankruptcies, and industry downturns that all have felt in one way or another.
I am constantly touched emotional when I see how well we rally around those impacted by hardships. I find it to be among the most inspiring things about what I do. Especially as the industry becomes more diverse, this unity is a tremendous indicator of a shared value system that ties us together. Across various experience levels, operators, and career goals, I am continuously impressed by how tightly aviation professionals (and even amateur pilots and aviation enthusiasts) bind together.
Equally notable is the support airlines offer to the passengers affected by this shutdown. Those stranded across the country, and even those impacted while out of the country, have numerous options to get home and reach their destinations. And while other airlines are certainly taking a business approach to fare and network adjustments, the increased options (and the efforts competitors are going to make to fill holes left by Spirit) will ensure that passengers continue to have options for their travels.
Support for Spirit employees and passengers will surely continue in the coming weeks and months, and I am certain that the rest of the industry will continue fighting for them as they continue their aviation journeys. I am excited to keep meeting, being updated by, and flying with these employees. Though there will be a gaping hole in the industry for some time, I am hopeful that many of those affected will eventually be resettled across the industry in one way or another. I am also confident that the industry will continue rallying around Spirit and its employees to ensure they land on their feet.
