WE’LL CHECK IN WITH SOME OF THOSE TRAVEL TIMES ALONG I-4 IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. 601 THIS MORNING WE’RE HEARING FROM SOME OF THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR JOBS WHEN SPIRIT AIRLINES SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. WE CERTAINLY FEEL FOR THEM. MANY OF THEM ARE NOW TRYING TO FIND NEW JOBS, OF COURSE. WESH TWO BOB HAZEN LIVE AT THE CAREERSOURCE OFFICE IN ORLANDO. THEY DO SO MUCH FOR THE COMMUNITY. BOB THAT AGENCY NOW HOLDING AN EVENT TO HELP THESE PEOPLE OUT. AND THE GOAL IS TO GET THEM BACK TO WORK AT A MORE STABLE COMPANY AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND SOME OF THESE FOLKS HAD WORKED FOR SPIRIT FOR DECADES AND HOPE TO RETIRE THEIR. IT WAS THE WRITING ON THE WALL, BUT I. I ALWAYS HAD THE FAITH AND SPIRIT. DAVE CHRIS. THERE WAS A PILOT AT SPIRIT. HE HAD 20 YEARS WITH THE COMPANY. HE TOLD US HE IS SAD TO SEE IT GO. NOW HE HAS TO START OVER WITH ANOTHER AIRLINE WHERE HE WILL GO BACK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SENIORITY LIST. SPIRIT HAD HUNDREDS OF EMPLOYEES BASED HERE IN ORLANDO, ALL OF THEM LOSING THEIR JOBS ABRUPTLY WHEN IT SHUT DOWN EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. WE ALSO TALKED TO CAMILLA LABAREE. SHE’S BEEN A FLIGHT ATTENDANT FOR NINE YEARS. SHE WAS INSPIRED TO JOIN THAT CAREER BY HER MOM, WHO ALSO SPENT ALMOST 333 DECADES WITH THE COMPANY. SHE’S NOW LOOKING FOR WORK AND WILL MISS WHAT SPIRIT GAVE TO HER FAMILY. I JUST KNEW THAT THIS WAS A PLACE THAT I WANTED TO BE BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE MY MOM STARTED, YOU KNOW, AND I CAME HERE AND IT WAS INSTANTLY LIKE A FAMILY. AND TODAY, AS WE SAID, CAREERSOURCE CENTRAL FLORIDA IS HOLDING WHAT IT CALLS A RAPID RESPONSE EVENT FOR SPIRIT EMPLOYEES. THAT’S GOING TO BE HELD AT THE CAREERSOURCE OFFICE JUST A FEW MILES UP THE ROAD FROM ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL ON CIMARRON BOULEVARD. TODAY, IT RUNS FROM 2 TO 5 P.M., AND WE’LL HAVE ANOTHER SESSION TOMORROW FROM 11 A.M. TO THREE IN THE AFTERNOON. THEY’LL BE ABLE TO GET HELP WITH RESUMES THERE, GET CAREER COUNSELING AND ALSO JOB PLACEMEN
Hiring help for displaced Spirit Airlines workers in Orlando
Updated: 7:48 AM EDT May 5, 2026
Spirit Airlines employees are facing abrupt job losses after the airline shut down operations early Saturday morning, leaving many searching for new employment opportunities. Dave Christ, a former Spirit Airlines pilot with 20 years at the company, shared his feelings about the closure. “There was the writing on the wall, but I always had faith in Spirit,” Christ said. Christ said he is saddened by the shutdown and now has to start over with another airline, where he will return to the bottom of the seniority list. Kamilah Labarrie, a flight attendant for 9 years, said she was inspired to pursue the career by her mother, who spent nearly 3 decades with Spirit Airlines. “I just knew that this was a place I wanted to be because where my mom started, you know, and I came here and it was instantly like a family,” Labarrie said. CareerSource Central Florida is hosting a rapid-response event to assist Spirit employees at its office on Semoran Boulevard, a few miles from Orlando International Airport. The event runs Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m., with another session scheduled Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees will receive help with resumes, career counseling and job placement support.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Spirit Airlines employees are facing abrupt job losses after the airline shut down operations early Saturday morning, leaving many searching for new employment opportunities.
Dave Christ, a former Spirit Airlines pilot with 20 years at the company, shared his feelings about the closure.
“There was the writing on the wall, but I always had faith in Spirit,” Christ said.
Christ said he is saddened by the shutdown and now has to start over with another airline, where he will return to the bottom of the seniority list.
Kamilah Labarrie, a flight attendant for 9 years, said she was inspired to pursue the career by her mother, who spent nearly 3 decades with Spirit Airlines.
“I just knew that this was a place I wanted to be because where my mom started, you know, and I came here and it was instantly like a family,” Labarrie said.
CareerSource Central Florida is hosting a rapid-response event to assist Spirit employees at its office on Semoran Boulevard, a few miles from Orlando International Airport.
The event runs Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m., with another session scheduled Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Attendees will receive help with resumes, career counseling and job placement support.