TikTok Campaign Raises $23 Million in Pledges to 'Buy' Spirit Airlines After Sudden Shutdown
Voice actor's 'Spirit 2.0: Owned by the People' campaign goes viral with 36,000 founding patrons, though pledges are non-binding and airline acquisition would cost billions
Auf einen Blick
- After Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down overnight Saturday, canceling all flights and laying off 17,000 employees, voice actor Hunter Peterson launched a TikTok campaign asking if 20% of American adults could pool the price of a Spirit fare to buy the airline.
- Called 'Spirit 2.0: Owned by the People,' the campaign attracted 36,000 'founding patrons' who pledged nearly $23 million by Sunday.
- The pledges are non-binding and the actual cost of acquiring and relaunching an airline runs into billions, which Peterson acknowledged in follow-up videos recruiting aviation lawyers and PR professionals.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
Spirit Airlines, known for its low-cost model and numerous customer complaints about fees and service, filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations abruptly. The shutdown left thousands of travelers stranded and employees without jobs.
When Spirit Airlines shut down overnight Saturday — canceling all flights, letting go of 17,000 employees, and telling ticketholders to just not come to the airport — people were flabbergasted but also bereft. For all its indignities, Spirit was cheap. Then one of them had an idea. Hunter Peterson, a voice actor with frequent flyer grievances, posted a TikTok asking: what if 20% of American adults chipped in the price of a Spirit fare and just . . . bought it? He called it "Spirit 2.0: Owned by the People." Within hours he'd thrown up a website — a janky, one-hour job, by his own admission — and by Sunday, 36,000 "founding patrons" had pledged nearly $23 million, crashing his servers in the process. None of it is real money. These are non-binding pledges. Also worth noting: the actual cost of acquiring and relaunching an airline runs into the billions. Peterson knows this. In a video posted earlier today, he winkingly tried recruiting aviation lawyers, PR people, and lawyers with a one-word ask: "Help?" "I know what I don't know," he told his followers, but "you're committing to this bit, so I'm committing to this bit."
Offene Fragen
- Will any actual investors emerge to purchase Spirit Airlines assets?
- Could a crowdfunded airline model work financially?
- What assets from Spirit Airlines remain available for purchase?
