‘Thank you for your support': Pilot says emotional farewell on his last Spirit flight

After Spirit Airlines announced it will be shutting down the company after 34 years, video on board a flight captured a pilot’s emotional farewell to his passengers

On the Spirit flight that landed in Dallas just after midnight on Saturday, the pilot took to the intercom to tell passengers the news.

“We got a notice from our union, right?” the pilot said. “Then we’re going to be ceasing operations at 3 a.m. Eastern time today.”

The pilot said he met a lot of friends along the way and had great conversations with passengers.

“We’ve been in the air since 1983. What is that? 43 years,” he said. And unfortunately, that’s over. So thank you for your support over the years. And onward and upward, right? God bless you all.”

The plane was then filled with applause from passengers.

According to Spirit Airlines, 17,000 of its employees found out about the news primarily through media outlets.

The signature bright yellow airline filed for bankruptcy twice in the last two years and had been grappling with soaring jet fuel costs coming from the war with Iran.

The company had asked the government for a $500 million lifeline, but the plan ran into opposition.

On Saturday, all operations ceased, and travel experts said this could impact flight prices moving forward.

“Spirit, even if it wasn’t the most popular airline, was highly responsible for keeping airfares down across the industry,” said Julian Kheel, a travel expert. That’s because other airlines had to compete with those low airfares, and now that they’re gone, I do think airfares will go up over time.”

But for many Spirit employees, they now need to find their next flight path.

Unions representing thousands of laid-off Spirit employees are now calling on both the airline and the federal government to make sure workers get the pay and benefits they’re owed.

Meanwhile, United is stepping in, opening the door to new job opportunities for those affected.