\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe last Spirit plane still at Orlando International Airport following the airline’s demise earlier this month has flown away, according to an update shared Saturday. Spirit airlines shut down all operations May 2, ending a 33-year run of operations out of Orlando International Airport that employed some 160 people locally. Its final month of operations out of MCO served roughly 500,000 passengers. The somber update Saturday from the airport said Spirit’s last aircraft left at MCO had made its final departure to Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Arizona. Former employees of Spirit were invited to “share this moment of farewell, honoring the legacy and memories built over more than three decades.” WESH 2 News caught up with former Orlando-based Spirit employees several days after news broke the airline was shutting down. While we heard that many employees anticipated the closure, they said it didn’t make the reality any easier. \u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking,\u201d said Dave Christ, who ended a 20-year career as a pilot with Spirit. \u201cWe all wanted to retire out of this airline.” Flight attendant Kamilah Labarrie said her nine-year career with the airline followed a family legacy, as her mother spent nearly three decades in the same role. \u201cI\u2019ve been in this industry since I was 6 years old,\u201d she said. \u201c(…) You don\u2019t really understand how something so dear to you can just be ripped away from you so quickly.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The last Spirit plane still at Orlando International Airport following the airline’s demise earlier this month has flown away, according to an update shared Saturday. <\/p>\n