HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Spirit Airlines reported laying off more than 4,850 people in Florida, including more than 3,260 in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, records show.
Sandra Gonzalez and Denise Pool were both dealing with the devastation of sudden job loss on Tuesday at the CareerSource Broward South Center.
“It’s super emotional to be here, seeing all of my co-workers that we have been together for so long, and now we are together at the unemployment office,” Pool said.
The failed ultra-low-cost airline filed the layoff notices on Monday with the FloridaCommerce, the state’s lead agency for workforce.
Records show the notice included 2,529 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 551 at the Spirit Support Center in Dania Beach, and 181 at Miami International Airport.
The others were 796 at the Orlando International Airport, and 796 at the MCO Infight & Operations Center in Orlando.
“We didn’t intentionally sell any tickets, thinking we weren’t going to be here. We thought we were going to get the liquidity we needed,” Dave Davis, the Spirit Airlines chief executive officer, told The Wall Street Journal on Monday.
Spirit Airlines had suffered more than $2.5 billion in losses since 2020, and filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and 2025 before a last-minute $500 million government bailout proposal failed.
“We have 18,000 people that live in this country that are great people and great employees,” President Donald Trump said about Spirit Airlines employees on April 23 at the White House.
Without creditors’ agreement on the bailout, Spirit Airlines flights were grounded by 3 a.m. on Saturday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the airline’s shutdown hours later.
Spirit Airlines employees’ health insurance ended on Saturday. American Airlines and JetBlue Airways offered to help Spirit Airlines pilots and flight attendants who were stranded over the weekend.
Trump and Duffy criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for blocking the $3.8 billion sale of Spirit Airlines to JetBlue in 2024. At FLL, on Monday, JetBlue announced 11 additional locations.
In Hollywood, Gonzalez and Pool were among the former Spirit Airlines employees who participated in the FloridaCommerce’s events on Monday and Tuesday at the CareerSource Broward center at 7550 Davie Road.
“I am a primary caretaker for my mother, who has dementia, and I have no idea how I am going to help her now,” Pool said.
For the CareerSourceBroward’s calendar of events, visit this page.
Related document: Notice of layoff (May 2-13)
Helpful link: Spirit Airlines launches restructuring page
Related stories
- While still wearing Spirit Airlines uniforms, job seekers start asking for help
- Jobless former Spirit Airlines employees march in Dania Beach
- Spirit Airlines asks guests not to go to the airport, or expect rebookings
Upcoming job fairs
The Hospitality Industry Job Fair is from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday at the CareerSource Broward at 2550 West Oakland Park Boulevard. Admission and parking are free.
Miramar is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 20 at the Miramar Cultural Center, at 2400 Civic Center Place. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Evenbrite page.
The Port Everglades Career Fair & Expo is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 27 at the Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Admission and parking are free. Here is a list of the participating companies >
Resources
- Department of Labor: Rapid response services includes guidance on COBRA continuation coverage
- 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’s jobs 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.”
- Delta releases statement of help
- For more information about help from the Association of Flight Attendants, call 1-800-385-3920
- 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.
- Employ Miami-Dade has services for job seekers.
- CareerOneStop has a database for job centers
- 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
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