On Saturday, following the announcement of Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy, content creator Hunter Peterson took to TikTok with a “genius idea.” In a video that garnered more than 700,000 likes, Peterson proposed a bold plan to his audience: “There’s over 250 million individuals over the age of 18 in the United States… if we took only 20 percent of them and paid basically the average fare of a Spirit Airlines flight… we could buy Spirit Airlines.”
Peterson aims to transform the once-affordable, now-shuttered airline into a business venture owned by the public, which he has dubbed “Spirit 2.0.” In one of his videos, set to the sounds of Norman Greenbaum’s 1970 hit “Spirit in the Sky,” Peterson addressed his potential future business partners, stating, “I’m kind of autistic, and I kind of like airplanes.”
From Viral Idea to Digital Movement
Just two and a half hours after his initial post, Peterson received more than 50,000 views, prompting him to launch a website, letsbuyspirit.com, where interested parties could pledge support. With 124,755 founding patrons, the initial site crashed, forcing him to establish a new domain, letsbuyspiritair.com, which has since accumulated well over $120 million in pledges. However, Peterson has been transparent online that he is not currently accepting actual funds. “This is non-binding pledges, to show interest to everyone else that we’re serious,” he explained in a post on Sunday.
Peterson, a former employee of André 3000 (a reference to his background in creative media) and a current voice actor, is no stranger to the airline. Last August, he went viral for spending 24 hours flying on their aircraft. On Monday, he shared a brief history of his lifelong obsession with aviation. “From the age of seven, I said when I grow up I want to start and run an airline,” he noted. Despite that ambition, he chose to major in film rather than business at the University of Southern California. “Yes, airlines don’t make money, they’re in debt, they constantly go bankrupt… but I still wanted it because I loved having something that could help connect people everywhere.”
Public Support and Future Uncertainty
Peterson’s initiative has gained significant traction among former Spirit passengers and even displaced employees. One former flight attendant commented on his post, using yellow and black heart emojis to urge him to “please hire all of the 17,000 back that lost their jobs. We soar together.”
Spirit Airlines first adopted its name in 1992 after rebranding as a charter airline. Despite frequent complaints regarding hidden fees, seat pricing, and customer service, the carrier remained a staple for affordable travel. Peterson hopes to recapture that spirit. “Juan Trippe, the former CEO of Pan Am, signed the order with Boeing to create the 747 because it was the ability to shrink the world, to make air travel accessible to the masses,” Peterson said. “That’s what I want to do, that’s why I want to be the CEO of Spirit Airlines. If you’re in, I’m in. Let’s do this.”
Peterson has stated online that he will not speak to official media outlets until he has consulted with legal counsel regarding the feasibility of his proposal.