Spirit Airlines employees, adrift with no severance or healthcare, turn to GoFundMe after company collapse

Spirit Airlines abruptly ended operations in the early morning of Saturday, May 2 following a failed government bailout for Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc. The company shutdown left customers stranded—it flew over 50,000 people the day before—and about 17,000 employees without a job, effective immediately. Now, some of those employees have turned to Go Fund Me for support during this tumultuous time. Searching “Spirit Airlines” on the donation site leads to campaign after campaign from former captains, flight attendants, and ground staff. Many of the campaigns highlight that the person is looking for new employment, but until then, needs support to stay on their feet. Fast Company has reached out to GoFundMe for details on the site’s verification process for these campaigns. We will update this post if we hear back. What did Spirit Airlines offer its employees? In short: basically nothing, so it’s hardly surprising former employees are turning to GoFundMe. According to Spirit’s team members guide, the company will pay employees for their work through May 2 and is offering no severance. It also ended benefits for employees enrolled in Spirit Medical, Dental, or Vision plans on Saturday. Individuals can opt to receive coverage from COBRA until May 31 by paying both the employee and employer premiums. After that, they have 60 days to enroll in Marketplace coverage. The guide also includes the question, “If a family member has a serious/chronic illness/is about to deliver a baby, will the Company assist me financially until we can get on a new plan?” Spirit’s answer: No, it won’t. According to reports, following the company collapse, Spirit did help former employees find a route back to their base airport if they were traveling for work.