{"id":978,"date":"2026-05-11T15:38:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=978"},"modified":"2026-05-11T15:38:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T15:38:45","slug":"spirit-airlines-closure-cost-nearly-1000-texans-their-jobs-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=978","title":{"rendered":"Spirit Airlines closure cost nearly 1,000 Texans their jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON<\/strong> – <\/span>Nearly 1,000 Texans were left without jobs when Spirit Airlines suddenly shuttered last weekend, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission.<\/p>

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What we know:<\/p>

Spirit ceased operations during the early-morning hours of May 2, a “sudden and sustained” increase in fuel prices for the decision.<\/p>

Globally, about 17,000 employees were laid off. TWC data released this week showed that the airline reported 515 of those layoffs were in Houston and 444 were in Dallas.<\/p>

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Spirit airlines planes sits at the gate at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, on March 8, 2023. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

Flight attendant Aijah Smith told FOX 26 Houston that, while the closure didn\u2019t come as a surprise, it was still jarring.<\/p>

“I didn’t register what she said,” Smith said, while recalling a phone call she got from her mother at her hotel in Houston. “And then I had another trainer, a fellow colleague of mine call me. And she was like, ‘Hey, are you OK? I know everything’s probably canceled.’ And I’m like, ‘Canceled? What do you mean?'”<\/p>

Smith, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, was among hundreds of employees who had to find a new ride home after Spirit shut down.<\/p>

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