TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIAppsDisrupt 2026 EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Contact Us In Brief Posted: 7:02 PM PDT · May 3, 2026 Image Credits:Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg / Connie Loizos We’ll take it: A TikToker rallies pledges to buy Spirit Airlines after its abrupt weekend collapse When Spirit Airlines shut down overnight Saturday — canceling all flights, letting go of 17,000 employees, and telling ticketholders to just not come to the airport — people were flabbergasted but also bereft. For all its indignities, Spirit was cheap. Then one of them had an idea.
Hunter Peterson, a voice actor with frequent flyer grievances, posted a TikTok asking: What if 20% of American adults chipped in the price of a Spirit fare and just . . . bought it? He called it “Spirit 2.0: Owned by the People.” Within hours he’d thrown up a website — a janky, one-hour job, by his own admission — and by Sunday, 36,000 “founding patrons” had pledged nearly $23 million, crashing his servers in the process. None of it is real money.
These are non-binding pledges. Also worth noting: The actual cost of acquiring and relaunching an airline runs into the billions. In a video posted earlier today, he winkingly tried recruiting aviation lawyers, PR people, and lawyers with a one-word ask: “Help?” “I know what I don’t know,” he told his followers, but “you’re committing to this bit, so I’m committing to this bit.” Topics Airline Industry, In Brief, Spirit, Transportation October 13 – 15 San Francisco Scale faster.
Gain practical expertise. No matter your goal, Disrupt can empower you.Save up to $300 today! REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.
TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day.
Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. { "title": "Newsletters", "description": "Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news", "showBtn": "1", "newsletters": [,,,], "currentUserEmail": "", "urls": } Related Transportation Uber surprised robotics company Serve by selling its entire stake Kirsten Korosec 2 days ago Transportation Joby Aviation builds out defense business with $500M acquisition Kirsten Korosec 2 days ago TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is betting on EVs, robots, and autonomy all at once — he’ll explain why at Disrupt 2026 TechCrunch Events 2 days ago Latest in Transportation Security Uber Freight reportedly investigating after hacking group claims data breach Zack Whittaker 15 hours ago Transportation India’s Yulu raises $93M as quick-commerce boom fuels e-bike demand Jagmeet Singh 1 day ago Transportation Uber surprised robotics company Serve by selling its entire stake Kirsten Korosec 2 days ago X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct Made by GooglePhiaBlacksmithPixel TagDisrupt 2026Tech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
