The dark silence that hung over terminals in airports that used to buzz filled with Spirit Airlines' bright yellow aircraft sounded like the conclusion of a time for low-cost travellers. In the past three decades, Spirit Airlines has made flying accessible to the ordinary person. The company had to close its fleet because of the incredibly high cost of fuel and an insufferable financial crisis. The world of business was watching the process to stop in bankruptcy, with eagle eyes, and the Internet reacted with a blend of sadness and bold determination.
In this day and age, where trending topics that are viral often fade out in hours, TikTok creator Hunter Peterson has done the almost impossible. Within days of Spirit ending its operations, his plan to "nationalise" the company through an ownership structure that's shared by all the owners caught the attention of the masses. What started as a lighthearted video has transformed into a digital movement, with a dedicated website, letsbuyspiritair.com, recording over $337 million in non-binding pledges.
