Spirit Airlines is dead, but a crowdsourced revival is taking flight online

Culture & TrendsSpirit Airlines is dead, but a crowdsourced revival is taking flight onlineWhat do the Green Bay Packers and a bankrupt airline have in common? If one social media creator has anything to do with it, a unique business model.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Aircraft parked out of service at Orlando International Airport.Ronaldo Silva / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 9, 2026, 10:00 AM EDTBy Dalila MuataSpirit Airlines was the budget-friendly carrier America loved to hate. But now that it’s out of business, a viral crowdfunding campaign is attempting to resurrect the bankrupt airline.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Once Hunter Peterson heard Spirit would close on May 2 — after attempts to merge with other airlines or get a lifeline from the federal government — the 22-year-old voice actor and content creator posted on social media that day with an idea to revive the airline.If a fifth of Americans each pitched in $45, (the equivalent of a cheap Spirit flight) “we could buy Spirit Airlines,” he said.His initial pitch was to run the airline like the Green Bay Packers, the only publicly owned team in the NFL. It has more than 5 million shares split among more than 530,000 owners. His joke, however, became a call to action. Peterson is not taking actual cash, but he has rallied $214 million in pledges at $45 per share from more than 240,000 verified people, his website says.Peterson did not respond to a request for comment and said he’s not talking to media until his plans are firmer. But he said on social media that he is actively consulting lawyers as he learns the regulatory limits to his idea.Public interest in this crowdfunding effort shows a collective desire to disrupt the airline industry. While spirits are high about the idea, experts say the regulatory hurdles alone could slow momentum to a screeching halt.“An airline is a very compl...