Spirit Airlines closure cost nearly 1,000 Texans their jobs

HOUSTON - Nearly 1,000 Texans were left without jobs when Spirit Airlines suddenly shuttered last weekend, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission.

What we know:

Spirit ceased operations during the early-morning hours of May 2, blaming a "sudden and sustained" increase in fuel prices for the decision.

Globally, about 17,000 employees were laid off. TWC data released this week showed that the airline reported 515 of those layoffs were in Houston and 444 were in Dallas.

Spirit airlines planes sits at the gate at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, on March 8, 2023. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

What they're saying:

Flight attendant Aijah Smith told FOX 26 Houston that, while the closure didn’t come as a surprise, it was still jarring.

"I didn't register what she said," Smith said, while recalling a phone call she got from her mother at her hotel in Houston. "And then I had another trainer, a fellow colleague of mine call me. And she was like, 'Hey, are you OK? I know everything's probably canceled.' And I'm like, 'Canceled? What do you mean?'"

Smith, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, was among hundreds of employees who had to find a new ride home after Spirit shut down.

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What's next:

Other major carriers, such as Fort Worth-based American Airlines, Houston-hubbed United and Delta, have offered to fast-track interviews for former Spirit staff.

Boeing has also scheduled virtual career expos for Monday.

Final goodbye for Dallas Spirit employees

Spirit Airlines workers in Dallas say farewell to airline

Dozens of former Spirit Airlines employees gathered at an aviation park near DFW Airport on Friday for one final time after the airline ceased operations last weekend. FOX 4's Dionne Anglin has more.

Dozens of former Spirit Airlines employees held a meet-up at Founder’s Plaza, in Dallas, an aircraft observation area near DFW International Airport.

One attendee was Lenzy Mooring, who worked at the company’s ticket counter at DFW Airport. She said she found out about the shuttering at 2 a.m.

"Definitely going to miss it. I love Spirit," Mooring said. "I didn’t want it to go away. I was so mad."

Many attendees wore their Spirit Airlines uniforms, donning the company’s familiar black and yellow colors one last time.

Yellow roses were handed out among attendees.

"We thought we were going to be here for a long time, but in the end, it was just ripped out from us," Jason Smith, a former Spirit employee, told FOX 4’s Dionne Anglin. "It made it really hard to try to figure out what's next."