TikTok plea incites potential bid to save Spirit Airlines

A social media influencer has started a “Let’s Buy Spirit” movement.

By MEGAN SWIFT
TribLive

There could still be hope for Spirit Airlines.

On Saturday, the discount airline with its signature yellow planes announced it was shutting down.

The closure left all flights canceled and customer service no longer available. Some passengers arrived Saturday for flights and were stunned to find them canceled, while workers learned overnight they were out of a job.

But in the wake of Spirit’s closure this week, a social media influencer is trying to save the day by turning Spirit Airlines into an airline “for the people,” USA Today reported.

Hunter Peterson, content creator and voice actor, launched a “Let’s Buy Spirit” movement over the weekend via a TikTok video he posted proposing the idea — which has over 6.6 million views, 927,000 likes and 21,000 comments.

“This is a genius idea: We nationalize Spirit Airlines,” Peterson said in the video. “Owned by the people. Airlines gone. We make a new airline.”

After the video gained traction, he launched a website titled letsbuyspiritair. com, where people can pledge toward proposed ownership of the airline, according to USA Today.

Peterson is proposing calling the new airline “Spirit 2.0.” The starting pledge on the website is $45, the average one-way Spirit fare.

“No money moves until the cooperative bid is formally structured,” the website says.

Peterson has been cross-posting the information and updates on the potential Spirit buy on his Instagram page, @hitherehunter, as well. He crafted an Instagram account for the new airline, under the handle @spiritair2.0.

According to his posts, one of the most recent updates is that Peterson had a Zoom call with Spirit Flight Attendants Union representatives, and they expressed their support of the plan.

Peterson also tagged Mark Cuban in a bid to find angel investors to help save Spirit Airlines as a collective group.