HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Jacqueline Bryce and Lauren Hernandez wore their Spirit Airlines flight attendant uniforms on Monday when they arrived at a government career center in Hollywood.
Hernandez said she joined the airline when she was 19 years old. A few years ago, she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a car crash, and she credits the company for helping her to recover.
“We have become like family. I am going to miss it so much,” Hernandez said. “I am really sad about it.”
After a $500 million government bailout proposal failed, Spirit Airlines flights were grounded by 3 a.m. on Saturday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the airline’s shutdown hours later.
“We are looking for help,” Bryce said. “I really love the job, and I enjoy doing it ... We went to work one day, and then we were out of work the next.”
CareerSource Broward offers services such as job placement and career coaching at three centers at 4941 Coconut Creek Parkway, 2550 West Oakland Park Boulevard, and 7550 Davie Road Extension in Hollywood.
Related link: Association of Flight Attendants offers help
Without much warning, Spirit Airlines employees’ health insurance was cut off on Saturday. A few dozen employees marched on Monday morning outside of the airline’s headquarters in Dania Beach.
There had been hope of a government bailout. On April 23, at the White House, a reporter asked President Donald Trump if his administration had plans to buy “a stake” in Spirit Airlines. Trump said it was under consideration.
“We have 18,000 people that live in this country that are great people and great employees,” Trump said. “We are thinking about doing it ... I’d love to be able to save those jobs. I’d love to be able to save an airline.”
Related document: Airlines For America plan
Dave Davis, the Spirit Airlines chief executive officer, told The Wall Street Journal that the Iran war’s surging energy prices caused the plan to fail.
“We didn’t intentionally sell any tickets thinking we weren’t going to be here,” Davis told The WSJ. “We thought we were going to get the liquidity we needed.”
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways were working to help Spirit Airlines pilots and flight attendants who may have been stranded during the shutdown.
Related link: Spirit Airlines launches restructuring page
“There’s a demand for aviation workers. So, even American and United have drafted or crafted microsites for Spirit employees to potentially jump the line, jump the queue, and get preferential treatment in the application process for the many airlines that are now hiring, whether it’s pilots, flight attendants, baggage workers or even those who have worked in the call centers. You can go to the individual websites to see what’s offered by each of the individual airlines,” Duffy said.
Trump and Duffy criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for blocking the $3.8 billion sale of Spirit Airlines to JetBlue in 2024, which they say could have prevented the failure.
Related stories
- Jobless former Spirit Airlines employees march in Dania Beach
- Spirit Airlines asks guests not to go to the airport, or expect rebookings
Resources
- American Airlines launches “Supporting Spirit” career page
- United Airlines launches program to prioritize former Spirit Airlines employees when hiring. Here is the career page >
- Southwest Airlines was recruiting on this page.
- JetBlue announced an extension of the “jumpseat agreement for the next two weeks, subject to space availability and limited to cabin seating” for those who were stranded while working for Spirit Airlines, and also announced “preferential employment interviews.”
- For more information about help from the Association of Flight Attendants, call 1-800-385-3920
- Career Source Broward runs three career centers with services to help job seekers. The centers also use the Employ Florida resources.
- To file an unemployment benefits claim in Florida, call 1-800-204-2418 or visit this page.
- Find your local food bank, on this Feeding America page
Related social media
— Spirit Airlines (@SpiritAirlines) May 2, 2026
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