Final Spirit Airlines paychecks landed in the bank accounts of terminated employees Friday as the bankrupt company moved to catch up on payouts for thousands of workers it fired as it permanently closed its doors earlier this month.
Terminated employees except for flight crews should have received their final paychecks by Friday, a spokesperson said in a message emailed Friday to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. .
“Final paychecks for crew members remain in process while Spirit completes an audit to ensure crew are accurately paid for every hour worked,” the spokesperson said. “The Company is finalizing these paychecks as soon as possible and will process payroll once the audit is complete.”
Flight crews include pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association and flight attendants who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. Sara Nelson, the union’s national president, has urged states to provide multiple assistance measures to help laid off workers, including $600 weekly supplemental jobless payments.
Former Spirit Airlines workers attend a May 5 presentation on career and employment resources at CareerSource Broward in Hollywood. More sessions are scheduled through the end of this month. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The now defunct budget carrier based in Dania Beach has commenced a complex wind-down of its business in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York that includes the return of leased jetliners to their owners and working out payments to thousands of creditors.
After its abrupt shutdown in the early morning hours of May 2, a half-dozen Spirit workers filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the company in bankruptcy court. The complaint alleges the company violated a federal law requiring a 60-day notice of a mass firing. It also asserts workers were owed back pay and benefits.
The company has declined comment on the suit.
But on the day of the shutdown and mass termination of 17,000 workers around Spirit’s network of U.S. and foreign destinations, the company said it was unable to telegraph its intent to close because it was still in negotiations with private sector lenders and the U.S. Government for financial assistance. In the end, Spirit creditors and the government could not agree on a proposed bailout that would have involved a $500 million taxpayer-funded loan in exchange for stock warrants in the airline.
The company blamed its inability to continue flying on a massive spike in jet fuel costs caused by the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Earlier this spring, management expressed its intent to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the summer. It had filed for protection from creditors in August 2025 for the second time in less than a year.
Initial job claims spike
Spirit’s shutdown and mass terminations appeared to have contributed to an uptick in new unemployment claims in Florida last week. The airline terminated more than 4,800 employees in South and Central Florida. More than 3,200 suddenly lost their jobs in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial jobless claims in Florida for the week ended May 9 rose to 7,968 from the 5,573 first-time claims filed the week before.
It was the first week that Spirit workers would have started filing for jobless benefits as the airline stopped flying May 2.
Re-employment aid continues
Public and private sector efforts to help the out-of-work Spirit employees find new jobs are continuing around South Florida. A lineup of job fairs and workshops driven by agencies including CareerSource Broward, the Urban League of Broward County and Port Everglades are scheduled through the end of this month.
“Rapid response” and other events over the next two weeks include:
Tuesday May 19: Urban League of Broward County Spirit Airlines Job Fair. Location: Urban League of Broward County, 560 NW 27th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 9 a.m. to noon.
Thursday May 21: CareerSource Broward Spirit Airlines Rapid Response. Location: CareerSource Broward South Center, 7550 Davie Road Extension, Hollywood, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday May 26: CareerSource Broward Spirit Airlines Rapid Response. Location: CareerSource Broward South Center, 7550 Davie Road Extension, Hollywood, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Wednesday May 27: Port Everglades Career Fair & Expo. Location: Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, noon to 5 p.m.
Thursday May 28: CareerSource Broward Spirit Airlines Rapid Response. Location: CareerSource Broward South Center, 7550 Davie Road Extension, Hollywood, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.