Let's Buy Spirit Air
An anonymous campaign site is urging people to pledge money to buy the assets of bankrupt ultra‑low‑cost carrier Spirit Airlines and relaunch it as a customer‑owned cooperative. Commenters question the venture’s credibility, legal footing, and hard‑coded “pledge” numbers, seeing AI‑generated copy, non‑binding commitments, and a lack of named organizers as major red flags, though a few are intrigued by the idea of a member‑owned airline. The debate quickly broadens into whether co‑ops can work in capital‑intensive sectors, why U.S. airlines rely so heavily on loyalty programs and credit cards for profit, and if air travel should function more like a regulated utility or even a public service.
Credibility and Possible Scam Concerns
- Many see the site as AI‑generated “slop” with generic urgency aesthetics (pulsing indicators, bombastic counters) and hard‑coded “live” stats in JS.
- Major concern: no clear identification of who is behind it, no entity details, no team, despite heavy legal verbiage.
- Several commenters suspect a securities or crowdfunding grift; others push back that no money is collected yet and pledges are explicitly non‑binding.
- Average pledge (~$666) and fast‑rising totals are viewed as suspicious; some think much of it could be bots or fake numbers.
Legal and Structural Issues
- Site repeatedly states: pledges only, not an investment, not a securities offering; all ownership and profit‑sharing talk is “proposed only.”
- Critics argue this doesn’t cure the underlying problem that it markets an investment‑like scheme without clear structure, governance, or guarantees.
- Questions raised: how a one‑member‑one‑vote model would work, what exactly pledgers would own, and how executive pay caps would affect talent.
Economic Reality of Buying Spirit
- Users note Spirit is heavily indebted; assets likely belong to creditors and are being liquidated. Suggestion: the real value is slots and aircraft leases.
- Some say it’s usually cheaper to start a new airline, but backlog for new planes complicates that; others counter that buying used/failing airlines is the standard path.
- Widespread skepticism that a loose online collective could outbid airlines or PE, secure regulatory approvals, and then actually operate a safe, compliant carrier.
Co‑ops and “People‑Owned” Models
- Thread discusses consumer and worker co‑ops (REI, AMUL, Desjardins, refinery and fuel co‑ops), noting they can work but are rare in high‑capex sectors like aviation.
- Mixed views: some enthusiastic about a customer‑owned airline; others say airlines’ razor‑thin margins and complexity make co‑ops a poor fit.
Spirit’s Reputation and Market Role
- Experiences are polarized: some loved Spirit as a predictable, ultra‑cheap “flying bus”; others describe it as bottom‑tier with relentless fees, delays, and antagonistic culture.
- Debate on whether its failure is mainly due to predatory pricing and blocked mergers, versus internal mismanagement and business‑model limits.
Broader Industry Context
- Many comments reiterate that airlines often earn real profits from loyalty programs and credit‑card deals, not from flights alone.
- Some argue airlines function like de facto utilities and should perhaps be treated or regulated as such; others see current low profitability as healthy competition.