Saying Goodbye to Spirit Airlines: A Flight Attendant’s Story

Behind every airline is a huge group of hardworking people ensuring the safety and comfort of every flight. It is the frontliners who truly run the show and are the real heart of aviation. But what happens to the thousands of aviation professionals when an airline disappears?

In this episode, we are talking with former Spirit Airlines flight attendant and union representative, Donald Gionta. Donald was with the airline for 8 years and is here to share his memorable experiences with Spirit, his journey, and how he started as an aviation professional. Get ready to laugh, feel sentimental, and enjoy our "Spirited" conversation this week.

To all the Spirit Airlines crew listening or watching us, our hearts and best wishes are with you. Whether you continue in the aviation industry or not, you’ll always be a flight attendant and a part of our Galley Gang!

Episode Highlights:
[0:00] Welcome to Episode #38!
[1:29] Donald & the sweet proposal
[5:16] Spirit making aviation more accessible
[8:06] Donald’s aviation story
[10:59] Aviation professionals come from everywhere
[12:20] The universe speaks to us in mysterious ways
[13:56] Donald’s favorite memories with Spirit 
[16:05] Flying out for tacos and tequila?
[17:24] What people wish they knew about Spirit Airlines
[18:31] Disconnect, even for a bit
[22:10] The aviation industry is so interesting
[23:15] Changing airlines is not easy
[26:05] Navigating two bankruptcies
[29:15] Coping with the fall
[32:22] Showing support as a union representative
[34:18] Dealing with the shock 
[38:38] How other airlines support the Spirit crew
[41:17] What’s next for Donald?
[44:12] One thing we’ll miss most about Spirit
[45:29] Donald’s message to the Spirit crew
[47:10] People are the heart of aviation
[47:59] Let’s play Cross-checked!

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Transcript

Welcome to Episode #38!

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Well, just go get a job in another airline. When an airline folds, or you voluntarily leave an airline and goes go to another airline, you're starting out at day one pay, you're starting back off on call on a reserve status. And that's something that a lot of people outside of the industry don't understand.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

But it's like going from McDonald's to Burger King. They do the same thing, but how they do it is vastly different. Absolutely. And you have to like relearn your whole job, even though the basics of your job are all the same.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

People must have been calling you and texting you like crazy that day.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

Oh, they were sending notes via pigeon. Uh one double WhatsApp, it was Facebook, it's text, it's calls, it's it's everything.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Today's episode is one that we wish we didn't have to make. We are in the studio today sitting down with a former Spirit Airlines flight attendant and also union representative to talk about what happens when an airline disappears and thousands of aviation professionals are left wondering what comes next. We'll talk about his journey into aviation, what Spirit Airlines meant to him and so many, what those last few weeks felt like behind the scenes, and what's next for Spirit Flight Attendants.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

So before we get into the heavy stuff with you today, Donald, um, we generally like to open the episode kind of venting about our week. Um so when we have guests, we like to ask

Donald & the sweet proposal

SPEAKER_01 2:04

what's the craziest thing that's ever happened to you on an airplane. Ever.

SPEAKER_00 2:09

Well I mean in general, crazy story. Just any story you have a wild moment, a passenger story, whatever the case may be. Yeah, I'll keep it positive.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

You can, but I don't want to be crazy stories. So yeah, I try to stay away from that crazy story. Um gosh, that's a great question. I'll never forget during COVID, um, we had a couple on board and we were flying. You know, I'd have to look at the location data on my phone. Um, but those pictures were probably over the Philly or Pittsburgh area. And um uh this gentleman had come up to me. We were making our required credit card announcement, and I'll never forget he said, Hey, could I be the winner of the Lucky Seat certificate? And I was like, Well, it's pre-assigned. Um, I don't get to pick it. Unfortunately, I don't have that magic wand. Um, he said, Well, I was hoping that you could pick me because you could bring my wife up here and we could talk about what we're gonna do with these points. So I went with it, right? And um, lo and behold, he got on one knee and proposed.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

So having a proposal on an airplane, I think, is something that not a lot of people see. Right. Um, I don't have a, you know, a baby birth on a plane or any kind of crazy story like that. Um, but I think that the fact that they met on a spirit plane on a flight and that he felt that that was kind of where their initial kind of story began. Yeah. And where their next chapter um was gonna lead them. And so I was I thought that was a very kind of cool thing to be a part of. That's lovely.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

That's a cool experience to be a part of, though. First of all, your credit cards were required. It was a requirement.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Yeah, it was part of our flight routine.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Wow. Did you you still got like a kickback for it? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

We earned a commission, whether someone was approved for their card or not, which was nice.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

That helps. Um, especially when it's required. I was like, that's a choice, but it is a requirement.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

I don't know about you all, but as soon as I saw this man trying to get down on one knee, I'd have been like, oh, get up. Oh, get up. The floor, get up. Have you seen what that floor is?

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Can I tell you though? We took like almost like an engagement photo shoot with like the ring on our demo bag, and like oh, that's cute. So our logo is like in the back of their pictures and stuff. Like, I have a whole little album with them. It was it was cute.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

I want to see who you are, but you were so lucky to have Donald as your flight attendant that day. Cause um, I would not have.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

I know. I'm sure you made that experience so memorable. It was cool, it was definitely cool. These are the moments where I really love being a flight attendant, though, because people are like, oh, it's just that flight attendant they're nagging me about safety stuff or doing whatever. And these are the little things that we get to do that just go above and beyond to be part of somebody's trip. And uh, I love those experiences.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Yeah, I think it's about more than like being that safety professional that some people are like hyper fixated on. It's it's more than just doing like the things and the stuff to go to the place. You know, take that moment, interact with that kid who's nervous, or that family who is going on their first vacation and on an airplane ever. Right. Um, you know, I'm thankful to work for an airline that gave that ability to a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

A lot of people. Um, that is one thing that Spirit did really well, is I feel like just made travel so accessible to people because there are people that don't get to travel and affordable prices. I mean, say what you want, make all the jokes that you want. That that does a lot for a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

I

Spirit making aviation more accessible

SPEAKER_02 5:51

think people will agree that spirit was the butt of a lot of aviation jokes.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Many, many jokes.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

Um but there's nothing funny about a $50 ticket, you know, to get you up or down the East Coast to go to a graduation or surprise a friend who just needs a hug. Um, you know, go have that favorite slice of pizza.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Well, and correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Spirit the leader in that like ultra low-cost market? Like, not only did you make not only did Spirit make aviation accessible to so many people, but by and large, they've made it way more accessible because now there's a competitive market. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

I think competition's such an important topic when you talk about low-cost carriers. You know, on routes that are saturated by some of the the big mainline carriers, they have nobody to compete with. Right. Right. Right. And when a smaller carrier like a spirit or another low-cost carrier comes into the market, it really makes them evaluate their cabin.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

And I think as a lot of travelers have seen, it's also positioned those mainline carriers to also change their cabins to have a less premium product to compete with that more economical seat option.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

And some of the low-cost carriers go into like major airports, but there are some ultra-low-cost carriers that are going into airports that are totally underserved to make it easier to like get to. Because some people don't even have the ability to like drive to the closest airport. Right. Absolutely. Or the closest major airport. But these like community or regional airports are not used as much, and they're making those more accessible.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Yeah, I think those secondary airports were definitely a part of spirit strategy. Um, Latrobe, Pennsylvania is probably a really great example. Instead of going to Pittsburgh, we had our Latrobeans, you know, our loyal Latrobians. They were some of our, you know, biggest credit card holders, our most loyal and amazing passengers. Um, you wouldn't get caught dead, you know, having any of them drive to Pittsburgh, or people from Pittsburgh would drive to Latrobe just to have that experience outside of that airport. Atlantic City is another big one where we had a huge presence.

SPEAKER_00 7:55

That's what I was thinking of as well.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yeah. Yeah, that we had a crew base in Atlantic City, and um over the time of the airline, it actually went through multiple closures and reopenings. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Yeah, I feel like there's like you said, spirit was the butt of so many jokes, but also the people that are making those jokes, it was a gateway for people to access access like new destinations and new places that they would have never otherwise seen. And so it's funny we make jokes about it, but also it did a really cool thing for so many people.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

I agree, I agree. It was a blessing.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Um, so before we talk about the end, which I know is a sad farewell, um, let's

Donald’s aviation story

SPEAKER_00 8:41

talk about the beginning. Let's talk about your story. Where did you start in aviation? How did you become a flight attendant? What drew you to the profession in the first place?

SPEAKER_02 8:50

So um, before I got into aviation, I was a Starbucks store manager. And uh my father became very ill. And um, in his final time, uh, his wish for me was to make sure that my mother got to go and see all the places that she hadn't get to gotten to see yet. And um, as a family, still to this day, we go on a vacation every year together. That's a big thing. Everybody's got to drop everything. And um, I really struggled um finding how I was gonna be able to manage that expectation from him with a job that I could barely be offer on holidays. I mean, those are peak times for a coffee shop, right? Um, this is years ago. So I was also growing, you know, my business. And I worked at um nine different stores over a six-year period. So I was constantly moving around and elevating myself. Um, and I had lunch one day with a friend who was a flight attendant at a mainline, and I said, I'm just really struggling with how how I'm gonna bring my mom to all these places when I can't even be off work myself. And um she just kind of looked at me funny and said, You become a flight attendant. Take her on layovers, right? She's gonna have benefits, send her wherever she wants to go. You know, she'll find her groove. And um, sure enough, I uh I applied at some mainlines, not knowing what I was getting into. And um, I was in a Facebook group of potential flight attendants, and um, I ended up creating a private message with a flight attendant who I um pinged that worked at a few different airlines. And I asked them, like, hey, could I ask some questions just about your mainline, your low cost, your smaller, your larger? And um, believe it or not, uh the consensus in the entire group was you should go for a low-cost carrier, um, one who was very competitive with Spirit. And Spirit was also on the list. And um, the more I looked into it, Spirit was hiring for Florida bases. Um, they had a Fort Lauderdale base at the time, which is where I was based when I started, and then the Orlando base opened, which is where I live. Um, so that was my weird and crazy path um to aviation.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

Beautiful story.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

I never thought I was gonna get, you know, be doing jump seat therapy sessions and uh, you know, cross-country red eyes and 12 hours here and 30 hours out of the country. And yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

I love that though, because I feel like so often you, you know, people that are coming to the industry have this idea of what it's gonna be and what airline and all the there's a right airline and a wrong airline and all this stuff. And it's like you don't really know that until you're in the industry, like what your vibe is. So you found your way into an airline that just made sense for you and worked really well for your family and like what you wanted, what your goals were.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

I think it like also re-emphasizes

Aviation professionals come from everywhere

SPEAKER_02 11:34

that people that get into aviation really come from everywhere, yeah, all over. They come from all different backgrounds, different educations. Um, they have different expectations, of course, of what this job is gonna be. And um, you know, some have families, some have pets, some don't own a home, some have attachments, some maybe care for elderly parents or whatever their personal obligations are. Um, but it's a beautiful, it's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

And what a beautiful way to like honor your father's memory every day.

SPEAKER_02 12:06

It's very cool. And I'll tell you um, not to get too too superstitious. My mom is very big on numbers. Numbers are her sign. And um, I'll never forget uh on my first flight, I was looking out at the um it was a deadhead. My first flight working at Spirit was a deadhead. Well, being on reserve, you get everything positioned where they need you best, right? And um uh I looked out and on one of the luggage carts was my dad's initials and his birthday.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Stop it.

SPEAKER_02 12:40

And I couldn't believe that. That's insane. And of course, my mom ran up there. She's like, This is where you're supposed to be. See, like you went through that crazy training, you know, unpaid, and you made this huge sacrifice, and like that's his way of saying, like, this is where you're meant to be.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

That's

The universe speaks to us in mysterious ways

SPEAKER_00 12:55

so beautiful, though. That was really crazy. I don't know that I'm necessarily like a numbers person in that way, but the universe really does speak to you in mysterious ways. Yeah, and that is a hundred percent a sign, and that's so beautiful. It's like he was always with you, you know, for all of that.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

I think sometimes, you know, when you're on a highway and you you miss your exit, you were supposed to miss it. Yeah, you were supposed to take that detour or go somewhere else, or you know, see or meet someone, or or you know, stop at that rest stop because there's a great, you know, fried chicken place or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

I think that your path just evolves with I just recently learned about the burnt toast theory. I don't know if you know about this, but like you burn your toast in the morning, you're like, crap, my toast isn't what I wanted it to be, but it like led you to all the things that you were supposed to be. I just recently learned about this theory.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Like not eating toast, like you weren't supposed to eat the toast, that's why it got burnt.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

No, but like you're I didn't think about it that way, but that's amazing. You're not supposed to eat it. I'm explaining it right. I don't know. I don't fully know.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

I don't fully know the whole theory, but basically, like the like three extra sec the three extra seconds that your toast was in, like set off your the motion of your day and you're supposed to meet the people you're supposed to meet. Got it missing the exit. It delayed you five minutes getting out the door because you had to make it something like that. Like it's just something you're better causes coming for you.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Aren't toast theory.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

Yeah, I'll have to look it up more. Yeah, I was like, go ahead, expert. I'm not trying to be an expert, but yes, I mean, we're universe people. You are where you're supposed to be in the moment that you're supposed to be there.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Yeah, I love that. So you ended

Donald’s favorite memories with Spirit

SPEAKER_00 14:31

up at Spirit, you were absolutely in the right place. Yeah, all the the right time, all the things. Tell us about some of your favorite like spirit memories, like layovers, crews that you loved, and things like that, or you know, memories with family of non-reving places.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

You know, um, at Spirit we got buddy passes, so a limited number of standby tickets per year. And they would always go, like in my in my mind, like to the highest bidder, like who had like the most exciting thing to do that year. And it was usually friends, like my family that would my, you know, my mom had benefits, I would take care of her. But it was always like someone who I would identify like was really craving to like visit a family member that they hadn't seen in 10 years, or you know, wanted to take that honeymoon that they were never able to afford. Like that was my way of like giving the gift that I had been blessed with to somebody who maybe couldn't otherwise have enjoyed that.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

And what a cool thing about our job that you don't like, no other job gets to do. Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:31

You know, like you work at a coffee house and like maybe you can give them like a lemon loaf or a cup of coffee, but it's like, is that really changing that person's life?

SPEAKER_00 15:38

Maybe. You know what, Donald? I'd love a lemon loaf.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Yeah. Um, but kind of that that gift of memory, right? That gift of experience, I think is you can't put a price on it. And I'm very thankful to have worked for an airline that did have international routes. So um, Central and South America, we had a good presence in Colombia, and we went as far south as Lima, Peru. So being able to tell someone like, hey, where do you want to go? Right. You know, like because I'm gonna go with you. Yeah, I want to be part of this. Right. Um and uh I'll never forget a uh it was kind of during the emergence of COVID. Um, I was still on reserve. I spent two and a half years of on reserve at at Spirit after I got hired. I was uh on probation and then the pandemic happened. And um, I was kind of in this like holding, you know, holding pattern, if you will. Uh aviation. We will we love a pun. Right. A little holding pattern. And um, I was on reserve for two and a half years, which was not very standard, at least for spirit at the time. And um

Flying out for tacos and tequila?

SPEAKER_02 16:41

so we were sitting at the airport, we were on what we call ready reserve or sitting couch, um, where we would go to the airport and be prepared to go anywhere and anywhere uh that the company needed to send us. And um, the four of us got released from that day that we're sitting uh reserved together. And we were like, Oh, we're all starting three days off. Like, what's everybody doing? They're like, Well, nothing. It's like nothing's open. The world is kind of still not, you know, moving along yet. And um I said, Well, let's have a taco night at my house. You know, I'll I'll I'll make some tacos and um we'll talk about it. You know, you can bring some toppings, you can bring aside, whatever. And um, after I got home, I was thinking about it and I'm like, why don't we go get tacos? And uh got on uh a crew website where we got discounts on hotels and other items and uh booked a hotel in Mexico for the next night, and we flew to have tacos in Tequila in Mexico. I mean, how many people had the opportunity to just be like, let's go get some real tacos?

SPEAKER_01 18:38

I love those stories. Those are like I kindly think back on being a new hire and like playing um departure board roulette and just being like, I want to go to there.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

That was such a fun game to play. Yeah. So what is something that you feel like people, the general public, often got wrong about spirit airlines? Because I feel

What people wish they knew about Spirit Airlines

SPEAKER_00 19:00

like, you know, we've talked about this a little bit. There's like the butt of every joke. There's always like memes made about, you know, did spirit airlines forget to attach the engine and jokes like that. And it's like, but there was so much heart to spirit. So what is something you feel like people got wrong about spirit that you wish people knew?

SPEAKER_02 19:16

To like go off what you're saying, you know, it was never uh there was never a day where someone said, like, I'm never flying this airline again. Right. Or um, you know, did uh who who did they pay to be the pilot today? You know, there was all there was always a running joke. Always a joke. Do you have a driver's license? Like you can go up front. Um but I think when you really dug deep and cared to look at like Spirit's safety culture for first, you know, aviation's all about safety. And Spirit had an impeccable safety record.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

It really did.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

And there's no price that you can put on safety. You know, I don't care if it's a $50 seat or a $5,000 seat on an airplane. Um it's gotta be safe because without safety, we don't have anything else in the aviation world. Um so I think that if people really dug into yeah, you know what, there aren't power, there isn't power in the seats, but everybody has a power bank

Disconnect, even for a bit

SPEAKER_02 20:07

and there aren't TVs, but you also brought a tablet on board and have a phone or have a computer. Um, and for about half of my tenure at Spirit, we didn't have Wi-Fi on board. So, you know, take a two-hour paid break from your phone. You know, it's a great place to be. Disconnect from it.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

Absolutely. We talk about this a lot, um, especially on this podcast, because so often people are like, oh, there's no Wi-Fi, there's no whatever that airline sucks. And it's like you never know at any airline that has those features when the Wi-Fi isn't up, when the outlets aren't working, when there's some, you know, extenuating circumstance where that situation isn't possible anymore. And so we always tell people be prepared when you travel, have those things available if that's what you want. But yeah, take a paid break. Like, not paid break, but take a break, you know, like check out for a minute. We're all too addicted to our phones anyway.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

It's a beautiful disconnect.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

I love to disconnect and read a book.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

It's my favorite part of air travel as a passenger.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

I love to disconnect and read a book. We were on an airline recently that I will not name, but you and I were sitting together on this airline with no Wi-Fi, and I was like, What do we do now? You were like laughing at me because you were like, You don't have to make memes. You can put your phone down for a minute and check out, maybe read a book or something. And it was like a running joke because I was like, I don't actually know what to do with myself because I haven't been on an airline without Wi-Fi for so long. Like it's it's it's a nice thing, I think.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

That everybody it becomes commonplace, I think, in people's minds after a while, like connecting to Wi-Fi wherever they are. Yes. And um uh I I recently went on a trip uh overseas. We flew across the Pacific uh with an aircraft that was in op wifi.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

And it's a long time to disconnect.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

It's a long time to disconnect, but it's a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Yeah, I really can.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

You just gotta embrace it.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

No, you just pull up a movie and roll, read a book.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

Yeah, I mean, people need to come prepared. Like preparedness is the fact that you're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

I'm gonna talk to you in the middle of the night. You're fine.

SPEAKER_02 22:11

My thoughts, myself. We have a lot to discuss. We're texting at 2 a.m. Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Sometimes my mind is too much to say, and I need I need her to calm down.

SPEAKER_02 22:20

You're halfway across the world, so whatever time zone you just traveled from, like you're on a your body clock's way off, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

I just text people all the time, anyways. You're correct.

SPEAKER_00 22:30

So life at Spirit is good, things are great, you're loving your job, you're happy where you are.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

How long had you been at Spirit? So about a week before shutdown. I just was going into my eighth year of eight years. Yeah. Um, you know, and Spirit gave us really such a quality of life. Like getting off reserve is, you know, that that threshold that everybody wants to get to. Right. Um, and being able to self-schedule and move things around and you know, work the first two weeks of the month and then don't work for four weeks and then work, you know, the two weeks of the next month. And that like to have vacations all the time is so such a blessing. It's so you get really used to that for sure.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

And people outside of the industry, I don't think, understand that either, where they're like eight years at an airline like Spirit, you are pretty much reaching the top here in terms of seniority. Like you've got a lot of flexibility, you've got good vacation, you've got A lot of things, and when you know, you're giving that up when an airline folds like Spirit did. You have to start again. Yeah. And I think people don't realize that.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

You know, the aviation industry is so interesting. And I I want to touch on like one of the things you just said. I would have friends, and even my mother for a while was

The aviation industry is so interesting

SPEAKER_02 23:46

like, I don't understand how you can work 10 days in a month and pay your bills. How does this work? Yeah. And you can maximize the days you go to fly. Right. I'm putting on this uniform, fly me for my max duty. Yes. Like get it all in, and then have if we if working a double day means I can have another day out of it.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

You two are definitely the same. Are the same. I'm like, I want to do bare minimum. Don't make me do too much. We'll come back tomorrow. It doesn't. I know. We make that joke a lot. Andrew's like, so you're gonna pay a bill or something? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

Um, yeah, but I think once you lose that quality of life, it really puts a lot of things into perspective. And the aviation industry, like, I'll make a very loose comparison. Like, if you're a tradesperson, let's say you're a painter, right? And this is the work that you do, and you can show your product and your your molding work or your pressure cleaning skills, whatever that is, you can show that work and say, hey, this is what I'm worth, right? But when an airline folds or you voluntarily leave an airline and goes go to another airline, you don't take any of that

Changing airlines is not easy

SPEAKER_02 24:51

with you. Of course, you always have your experience and you, you know, you can elevate that at another carrier, but it doesn't mean you're taking seniority, which is the name of the game, right? You're not taking any of that with you. You're starting out at day one pay, you're starting back off on call at most airlines on a reserve status. And that's that's something that a lot of people outside of the industry don't understand. Right. Well, just go get a job at another airline.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Yeah, even like my mom, I remember when I started, she was like, Well, can you just transfer? You can't just like it's not like departments, you know. It's like you don't get to just go start magically at the same place you were at this other airline.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

Well, and as somebody who has transferred, or not transferred, my mom had to left one airline to come to another one. While the FARs are the same, company policies are not. And I was talking to somebody on an airplane the other day, and they were like, what was the hardest part of like changing airlines? And I was like, honestly, like I hate to draw a fast food comparison, but it's like going from McDonald's to Burger King, they do the same thing, but how they do it is vastly different. Absolutely and you have to like relearn your whole job, even though the basics of your job are all the same.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Well, and I think a lot of people draw this like common line of like all airplanes are the same, maybe they're just different. Um, you know, I'll I'll speak for myself. I used to serve Diet Coke and Cheese Its. Um, but there are some, you know, flight attendants who are baking cookies and assembling charcuterie boards. Yeah. And um, I mean, this is a whole different level and a whole different animal. So true. Um, and there are so many differences. And yes, it could be the exact same aircraft type, but the configuration inside is the is, you know, very wildly different. Um evacuation procedures.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

We talk about that a lot because there's like one configuration of the airplane that I work on. He gets on a 737, and there are like 86 different versions of that airplane. Like the equipment is a different place on every airplane that he gets on.

SPEAKER_02 26:52

It's a 737-what?

SPEAKER_00 26:54

We got lost in this the other day because he's like, you know, the galley lights on like a 321, and you have the whatever. And I was like, Are you talking about like side lights, in lights, like work lights, or area lights? Like, what are you talking? And he's like, I was like, the door lights, the door lights. And I was like, What do you mean this? And it was like we were locked in the weeds. Like, you know, the door lights. He was like, No, I don't know. We don't have the we worked the same job in the same aircraft, but not at all at the same time. Yeah. Uh so the last few months at Spirit must have been overwhelming. I'm sure there was obviously like writing on the wall, you know, there were news articles about Spirit being in trouble and all that sort of stuff. What was the moment where you kind of felt like, or did you even feel that way in the moment of like things

Navigating two bankruptcies

SPEAKER_00 27:41

are things are getting bad to the point where it might be over?

SPEAKER_02 27:45

So I'll just speak from my own personal experience. You know, Spirit navigated two bankruptcies in roughly a year and a half time frame, give or take. And we emerged from the first one and it was like, great, like this is over. And then going into the second one was like, well, here we go again. Right. We just did this. And this was after a few unsuccessful merge acquisition attempts from some other carriers that were blocked and uh not, you know, not moved forward with for several reasons. But I'll speak from my personal experience. I was actually in Fort Lauderdale on May 1st. So really our last full business day of flying. And um I hate to use this terms, but it was business as usual. Like everything felt very normal that day. It was a Friday, it was a big travel day, you know, or a big leisure, we were a big leisure airlines for a lot of people are flying out of places on Fridays for the weekend. And um it wasn't until later, late, late, late that evening, that it really just came to fruition and solidified that like something doesn't feel right. Right. Or you know, what's being reported in the media and like why are operation staff being sent home early, or why are all these flights out of bases being canceled? You know, at the end of the day, they were winding down the operation in a very, let's say, smart way, uh, to not position crew and aircraft outside of bases unnecessarily. Um, and I think on a Friday it was important to note, like, you know, not to justify some of the decisions, but maybe not um getting these families displaced from home um and away from where they could just stay, you know, not get away from their homes or where they already were for the weekdays.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

That's interesting to hear that perspective because I think there's this cons like idea in you know, the media and whatever that Spirit just decided at three o'clock in the morning on a Saturday or whatever, that like we were done and we were gonna strand people and whatever. And you're saying, you know, there was more thought put into it than that. That they weren't trying to do this to anybody, no one was trying to do this to people.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

Right. I I don't know an exact number, but I want to say at the time of operational ceasing, we had about a thousand crew members, I think a combination of pilots and flight attendants displaced throughout the system, and that's with strategic cancellations and keeping planes where they kind of were. Um, you know, a lot of those international flights, you know, didn't depart those days. Heaven forbid they had maintenance out of the country and they were shutting down the operation. How does that work? Um, I I will just speak again from my own personal experience. I I tried to look at it logically after getting over some of my griefing stages, and I really do think that they tried to have as least of a disruptive uh window as possible, at least operationally.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

So leading up to that though, because you'd been through bankruptcy already, people were probably feeling kind of hopeful, like, well, we've

Coping with the fall

SPEAKER_00 30:51

done this before, so we're gonna do it fine again, things are gonna work out. Like, yeah, that must have made the fall a little harder to cope with.

SPEAKER_02 31:00

I so the the timeline that we were being given by the company was mid-June exit of this second bankruptcy. Like we have ducks in a row, and emergence from this bankruptcy could be mid-June at some time. And um, you know, not to blame anything on politics because that's a sticky subject, but the unfortunate reality is that the unbearable price in fuel uh that spiked so high is what kind of sealed this. And again, I'm speaking personally and in my opinion, but at the end of the day, I don't know that there are a lot of companies that are navigating bankruptcy that could successfully incur tens of millions of dollars in unforeseen costs, unexpectedly. Right. I mean, that's just a reality.

SPEAKER_00 31:48

Yeah, especially with airlines having such a like low margin as it is, people don't realize that it's like airlines aren't actually rolling in dough. You know, there's there's not a lot of extra to go around. So when these costs come up, it's it's a harder thing to overcome.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

I think when you dig deep into it too, like if you get really nerdy into some of these aviation uh uh blogs and forums, some people will say that these are credit card companies that just happen to run an airline. Oh, I've heard that for sure. You know, a lot of people say like those big companies, they are credit card companies. You know, these big main lines are credit card companies that just happen to have a loyalty program that is facilitated through because that's the moneymaker, because that's where they're getting all their funding. It is for sure.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

Uh, so you found out you were in Fort Lauderdale when this happened. Yeah. You were not flying, you were doing union work, right?

SPEAKER_02 32:37

I was, yeah. So I was there for union activities. We were planning um some Pride Month activities. We were talking about flight attendant appreciation month instead of just the day. Every week was gonna have almost like a little bit of a different theme. And we had business partners that had front of the bill for some activities and some giveaways and some really cool swag. And um, we were solidifying some of those and how from a union perspective, we were gonna participate and engage um in unrolling all of that. And um, yeah, we were we were at our corporate campus, like literally outside of the room to my window. I could see planes taking off, I could see our training building and our headquarters.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Right. It was business as usual when this was about to Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

I know that that's a term that people got so irritated hearing, like, how was it business as usual? It was a very it was a normal day of meetings and smiles and swag and and and planning and scheduling out into over the next month. Everything was normal.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

I think we talked that day. Yeah, it was very normal. I I think we were talking about other union stuff, and we were, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

Surreal.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

I mean, I I can only imagine as someone who's been furloughed thinking, you know, there's hope that I have my job back.

Showing support as a union representative

SPEAKER_00 33:58

Like in that moment, you know, I know the feeling of okay, lost my job. It's a gut punch, but to that moment of realization of there's no like getting it back. What did your phone blow up immediately? Like, what was the initial response? What were flight attendants saying to you, especially as a union rep? They people must have been calling you and texting you like crazy that day.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Oh, they were sending notes via pigeon. Um, you know, it was it was one does a WhatsApp, it was Facebook, it's text, it's calls, it's it's everything. Um from a union perspective, obviously we took action immediately when we found out that this was factual and that the operation was ceasing. Um, the union actually took the initiative to communicate to the flight attendant group before the company did that we were actually ceasing operations. Um that was in collaboration with our international leaders. Um so we sent out that communication shortly after midnight, um, going into the second, a few hours before the official cease of operations was happening.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

Um I feel like that speaks volumes about our industry as a whole, of like who's really there for you when you need it, you know?

SPEAKER_02 35:07

Yeah, and and I'll speak for myself. Um I continue to act in a union capacity and a support figure for thousands of flight attendants that are still displaced and many of which are still unemployed, or figuring out where they're gonna get next week's diapers or how they're gonna get a meal on a table, you know, for Sunday dinner. It's it's a real reality. And and the fact of the matter is, although we were a Florida-based company, we had flight attendants who lived in states across the country, and we actually have a good amount of flight attendants who commuted from international destinations.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

I'm sure, yeah. So yeah. So what was that like as a union rep trying to come up with answers for flight attendants,

Dealing with the shock

SPEAKER_00 35:54

especially on issues that you maybe don't have answers for?

SPEAKER_02 35:57

Yeah, I I'm thankful that management was available for about the first two weeks or so after the shutdown to work through some kind of final claims and some pressing issues. Um, the reality was that those people get paychecks and that the company needed to stop spending money as quickly and efficiently as possible. Um, so the reality was that those resources went dark pretty quick before we got all of our answers. Um we didn't receive our final April paychecks until um the end of May. Wow. So, you know, people are waiting on hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars from that they earned in May for time that they worked in May, or in April rather. And it wasn't until the end of May that they were getting those dollars deposited.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Which is crazy because you think, okay, I understand the reality of the situation. I don't have a job anymore. Future hours are are not gonna be paid because they don't exist, right? But the time you've actually worked is now also in jeopardy. Yeah, that's gotta be such a mind fuck for lack of a better word.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

Yeah, I mean, I sold those Dai Coke and cheese it's yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

I went to those places, I did the things and the stuff. You were working until the last hour for this airline, and then you just get dropped. Dropped.

SPEAKER_01 37:17

Well, and I think for the for the audience listening, I think this is one of those weird points in our pay where I don't think people understand that we're paid it in a retroactive way. Sure, right. Reconciled among it. Because we are allowed to do so much shifting and changing to our schedule, it's not like the pay's not the same every month or every week. So we are paid in a retro way. So, I mean, it is scarier for that exact reason.

SPEAKER_02 37:43

Yeah, when you take kind of let's say a month off from flying, you feel it really for two months. Correct. Oh, for sure, you don't make it up until that second month that you're back. Uh-huh. So financial planning and having that kind of security net is is so crucial when you're paid in that way.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

And we you weren't able to. You didn't know this was happening.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

You uh I mean, we would have made different decisions if we if flight attendants would have had notice of all of the things that happened, right?

SPEAKER_01 38:10

A lot of people don't know all the hours possible. Fly all the hours possible.

SPEAKER_02 38:15

Yeah, maximize some of that overtime, which we actually gave up in bankruptcy proceedings and got back on a temporary basis as a trial to see like, are people gonna come to work and fly more if we give this overtime incentive back? And um, you know, it nobody thinks like, let me just let me refill that prescription, let me get that root canal done, or let me take my child in for that scan that we've got.

SPEAKER_01 38:40

Because it's not just fine, it's not just physical money, it's also insurance and correct.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

So that day of shutdown at that 3 a.m. point, that calendar day was our last day of health coverage. So our one of our most immediate instructions was go and see your doctor today, get an eye exam done today, get your teeth looked at, cleaned, whatever, today. But insurance is ineffective immediately.

SPEAKER_00 39:05

They're away from home somewhere. Like, this is the crazy thing is people don't realize, like, okay, sure, in theory, go run to the doctor real quick. You can't leave work to do that at home. I'm on a layover, you no longer have flight benefits, you don't have a way home, you're stranded somewhere. Yeah, like the reality of the situation.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Because there was no essentially company that existed for you to have benefits on. Right. We were very thankful to have uh a handful of airlines in the US that gave privileges still to our crew members to get home, to move out of apartments in their bases, to close out a crash pad, um, to go and see family members, to go to a doctor, yeah, a doctor's appointment.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

I had a few spirit airlines flight attendants like on my flights where I was like, I don't even know what to say. You know, it's like I can't even imagine like what you're going through at this point. Um so yeah. Uh so you talk about the support. Did were other airlines, did they show up or what are they doing now for crew members?

How other airlines support the Spirit crew

SPEAKER_00 40:14

What's next for Spirit Airlines flight attendants?

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Yeah. So most airlines were able to extend those travel privileges for about two weeks after our shutdown. Again, for those kind of getting into position activities, whether you had a doctor in another state from where you lived, or seeing a flame member, or whatever you had to kind of close down for yourself. Um, but after that, there were multiple airlines that did hold hosting events and open up applications, even on a temporary basis, exclusively or at least prioritizing spirit crew members and not just crew members, um, airline technicians, pilots. You know, they wanted anybody with that aviation experience. We're going into peak summer travel season. And if they can get some experienced workers under their belt, maybe if they don't need them necessarily on staff, um, we're still a valuable asset, right? We still bring a lot to the table.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

Right. Yeah, I think we, especially the two of us with two guys in a plane as flight attendants, talk about what's next for flight attendants a lot. And we sometimes don't talk about the bigger picture, but I mean, there were thousands of people in all sorts of work groups that were affected by this.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, skilled workers, you know, I think of like these maintenance personnel, they can go and work on other aircraft very easily, you know, maybe with very little difference training or modifications to what they were already doing. And to seek someone with those kind of credentials can take a lot of time. Yeah. So I think it's it was a really great opportunity, uh, given the circumstances for other aviation uh leaders to really recognize that we bring a lot of value and experience. Right. We could bring that to their airline.

SPEAKER_01 41:54

As someone in the industry, it was uh really beautiful to see the airlines, the other airlines step up in that manner. I agree. Um it the the community that you build, you believe you built within within aviation. It was really nice to see that actually come to life.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

I think a lot of people, as as different as some of our aircraft are, we are as corny as it sounds, we're united by wings. Correct. And we are each other's siblings. It doesn't matter if you are based here or you know your airline is is international. When you walk on board and say, I'm a crew member, you know, here's a goodie bag, or this is my name, this is where I'm seated. Let me know if you need anything, or this is my first member.

SPEAKER_01 42:38

But the wings all fly the same.

SPEAKER_02 42:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:41

We really do all have to take care of each other. Yeah. Like that's that's so true. Um, how has this whole experience changed your perception of your career? Like, how do you feel about being a flight attendant?

What’s next for Donald?

SPEAKER_00 42:53

What's next for you?

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Sure. Uh just speaking personally, I think I think I definitely have a home in aviation and I hope to be flying again. Um, but I want to be at the right place. I think now I understand that although I had a quality of life maybe a lot faster, at least a quality of life that I was searching for at a smaller airline like spirit, to get that same quality of life maybe at a larger area, uh larger carrier rather, does take some time. But putting that time in, seniority is everything, right? We know that in the aviation industry. Um, we sure going somewhere where I can retire from and know that I'm gonna have those benefits. Yeah, that's my personal next move. Because I think about all the people that put in their time and did everything right by spirit, and now they don't have those retirement benefits that they worked for.

unknown 43:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:45

Because I mean, I think there is a misconception in the industry that the low-cost and ultra-low cost carriers have like a five-year shelf life. But some of your flight attendants have been there for 25, 30 years. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, you had some life for their whole life, yeah. But their aviation career had been spent.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

That is the longest thing in their life before their spouses, before their kids. Yeah, that is their most comfortable, common thread throughout their life.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

Yeah. I mean, as somebody who works for a low-cost carrier, I think that's a misconception, is that we are like five-year people and like the turnaround must be crazy.

SPEAKER_02 44:21

But you it's it's it's addictive, that quality of life that you can get at different carriers. And every carrier is gonna fit somebody's life very differently. Um, but once you find it, it's hard to let it go and it's hard to voluntarily say, you know, I really want to go to a main line, and I'm gonna give up seniority, I'm gonna start at a different pay, I'm gonna commute, you know, I'm gonna move. Those are a lot of big sacrifices than just saying, I'm good here.

SPEAKER_01 44:49

Particularly for people who just lost it and lost 30 years of it already, because you don't get to take that with you.

SPEAKER_02 44:56

It's it's crazy to think that someone of 30-year seniority is just as unemployed as somebody who had three years of seniority.

SPEAKER_00 45:05

It really is. It suddenly means nothing. We seniority suddenly means nothing.

SPEAKER_02 45:08

Get a reset to zero at the same time. And we all want some of the same jobs.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Not that it's different, but the grief of that for somebody that had like I can't imagine like the grief of that loss that people are dealing with.

SPEAKER_02 45:22

Wholeheartedly, yeah. And I think you know, somebody likely that has 30 years of tenure at any job to want to. Go back into that same job and start over, they're gonna have to really think about that. About whether they're gonna be able to do it. Especially if like that retirement is where they want to get to. You put in time to get to that.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

What is one thing you'll miss most about spirit? The people.

SPEAKER_02 45:45

I think at a lot of jobs, like

One thing we’ll miss most about Spirit

SPEAKER_02 45:49

you're gonna have things you love about it and things that just like drive you crazy. Oh, for sure. Looking forward to you know, refreshing yourself and being like, did that person pick up this pairing with me? And then you get so excited about like what you're gonna eat, see, or do on that layover. Right. Um, or just like the galley gossip you're gonna have, right? Or you know, the game of Uno that you're gonna play in the galley together. Yeah, yeah. Um, and it's a beautiful thing. Like I used to buddy bid with a very close friend of mine, and um, it's a beautiful thing having as inconsistent as the aviation industry is, there's so many things outside of especially flight attendance control, maintenance, delays of aircraft swap, downgrading, upgrading, no catering, um, weather, mother nature, right? Um, the very few things that we actually had control over, like being able to buddy bid and having that consistency in that person that you're gonna work with all month, is so cool. How many jobs can you go to in any industry and say, I work with the same person that I love and I choose to work with every I can't even think of one off the top of my head.

SPEAKER_00 46:58

If you could speak directly to every Spirit Airlines flight attendant or team member affected by this whole situation,

Donald’s message to the Spirit crew

SPEAKER_00 47:06

what is one thing you would say to them?

SPEAKER_02 47:11

That's such a great question. I think the reality is that this was nobody's choice. Um, and that at the end of the day, if we show up for one another, we're gonna be better for one another. But in order to show up, you know, we do a safety demo on every flight, right? And what is one of the things that we say? Put on your oxygen mask first before helping somebody else. And making sure that you're okay and that you're taking care of your needs before you can really give anything to somebody else is so important. Um, and I would say that that is is a resounding factor because I'll speak from my personal experience and still doing union work all these weeks after a shutdown occurred. Um, I still give to people. I still give my time and my energy and my knowledge. And um, but I do it from a place of love and I do it from an understanding that some people don't have another place to go to. And that's the reality.

SPEAKER_01 48:10

That's beautiful. I'm over here trying to I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 48:15

No, I don't even know.

SPEAKER_01 48:15

It's just because I know you as a human and I just know that like really your heart that was you're just pouring your heart out to everyone, and I love you for it.

SPEAKER_02 48:25

I love you both. It's it's very true, you know. When you're a frequent flyer, you don't listen to a safety demo, but the application of putting on your own oxygen masks first before helping somebody else really applies.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

Yeah. And I think, you know, at the end of the day, airlines are just airplanes and logos. The real heart of aviation is the

People are the heart of aviation

SPEAKER_00 48:46

people. Yeah. And today's conversation is a reminder that behind every airline are thousands of hardworking folks who really run the show. It's not the CEOs or the executives, it's the frontline folks that are truly the heart of each airline. To everyone out there from Spirit Airlines who may be listening, our hearts are with you. Whether you continue in aviation or not, remember you will always be a flight attendant and you will always be part of our galley gang.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

Um, both of you have me crying. So rude. It's warranted, I feel like, in this situation. Um, we love all of you so much. Um to get out of the heavy. Um, before we leave, we like to play a game with all of our guests uh called Crosscheck.

Let’s play Cross-checked!

SPEAKER_01 49:39

It's just a lightning round. We'll ask you a few questions. First thing that comes to mind.

SPEAKER_02 49:43

Oh boy. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 49:45

You ready? Yeah, I think so. Uh window or aisle? Aisle. Airbus or Boeing.

SPEAKER_02 49:54

Airbus. Correct answer. That is the valid answer.

SPEAKER_01 49:57

Hotel or Airbnb?

SPEAKER_02 49:59

Oh, um I'm gonna say hotel only because I feel like there's a lot of these little like sub brands popping up, and they're doing really cute things and like little micro studios, and like they're really getting into these cool niches. Whereas I feel like Airbnb, you're you're really dealing with these people. It's like having a rental car. Yeah, like you don't know what beat up, you know what what this person did to it last time, but um Airbnb, short answer.

SPEAKER_00 50:26

Favorite layover city.

SPEAKER_02 50:28

Oh um, favorite layover city. I always loved to go back to Seattle. Love being Orlando based, I didn't get to go there a whole lot. Yeah, um, that was reserved a lot for our Vegas-based flight attendants. So whenever I could get to the entire complete opposite end of the country was really a thrill for me.

SPEAKER_01 50:49

Favorite airport.

SPEAKER_02 50:51

This is gonna be uh, what's the word I'm looking for?

SPEAKER_01 50:55

Not controversial. She's about to say Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 50:58

I'm not you better not be saying Atlanta on our show.

SPEAKER_02 51:01

I am not gonna say welcome aboard the plane train. Um I'm gonna say LaGuardia. Okay, she got a glow up though. Listen, she's beautiful, and I'll just speak from from the sphere perspective. We were so blessed to operate out of our own amazing and historical maritime terminal, and it was it's such a piece of just aviation history, okay. Um, that we were blessed to be able to use that space. But I mean, LaGuardia main terminals, if you're going to a lounge or flying on a main line, they were they're spot on, they're gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 51:35

So least favorite airport.

SPEAKER_02 51:37

Ooh.

unknown 51:41

Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 51:42

Yeah, that's correct.

SPEAKER_01 51:44

That's the there are no wrong answers on this show, yes, there are. We don't board the plane train here.

SPEAKER_02 51:49

Yeah, no, I couldn't tell you the last time I stepped foot in that airport.

SPEAKER_01 51:53

Uh go to snack while flying.

SPEAKER_02 51:54

I like something that's chewy, so it'd probably have to be like a sour gummy bear. Like, I don't want to chew gum while I'm flying, but something that isn't like gone in two seconds, like a Pringle.

SPEAKER_00 52:08

I like these choices. I always feel like um that skit on SNL when we do this, the Bronx Beat skit. Have you ever seen that with a game polar and Maya Rudolph? They're like, Yup, mm-hmm. Yup, good answer, yeah, good answer. I always feel like that because I'm like very into the people's answers.

SPEAKER_02 52:24

And I just want to questions sour because your taste buds respond differently to things. They sure do. And I think there's something about a sour, chewy goodness that is just different having it in the air.

SPEAKER_00 52:36

Favorite song on your travel playlist right now, just current current vibes.

SPEAKER_02 52:42

Man, that's such a great question. Um, can we come back to that one? I feel like I have to like really commit to we can circle back.

SPEAKER_01 52:51

Uh, one item that's always in your carry-on.

SPEAKER_02 52:54

When I when I was working, yeah. Okay, laugh at me, y'all. Remember, I spent two and a half years on reserve. If you have never been blessed with using a laundry detergent sheet, you're missing out.

SPEAKER_03 53:08

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 53:09

You never know when you have the food curse and spill something on your layover clothes or get something, you know, during turbulence on your uniform. And uh having a sheet that packs dry and flat that you can tear into different quantities if you just need to wash just a little rub down on a happen, but I didn't think about that.

SPEAKER_01 53:28

Because in the sink, you can just take your detergent and rub. I oh that's genius.

SPEAKER_02 53:32

I like to stay away from liquids. I don't want to carry around liquids. I didn't carry around energy drinks. I'm not carrying around bottles of water. Nothing. That's weight. Correct. I want a drink mix, you know, something that's light.

SPEAKER_00 53:43

I like this. This is adding it to my list.

SPEAKER_01 53:46

Putting the laundry detergent in my bag as soon as I get home.

SPEAKER_00 53:49

That's brilliant. Uh, last but not least, place you've always wanted to visit that you haven't been to yet.

SPEAKER_02 53:56

Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 53:57

Um. And what song are you listening to on your way there?

SPEAKER_02 54:01

I'm probably listening, you know. I I I go back to um I'm a Swifty. So I I can just envision landing in LaGuardia, my favorite airport, and I can just hear Taylor singing Welcome to New York. Oh, that's I can just hear that. I like that. Um, but let's see. Um, somewhere that I haven't visited that I want to go to, Australia. Australia. I've never been to the down under.

SPEAKER_01 54:24

It's high on our list. Yeah. Yeah, we haven't high on the list.

SPEAKER_02 54:28

Big agreement. Probably like Egypt is a close second.

SPEAKER_00 54:33

We did that one. Definitely do that. I would recommend I really want to do that. Go on a group trip, maybe with us in the future. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 54:39

It's definitely a group, it's a group trip definitely.

SPEAKER_02 54:41

Can I get my flight pennies back first? Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 54:44

Go work on that and report back. Yeah. We just went, so it'll be a little while before we go again. But um, well, thank you so much for joining us in the studio. This has been so fun hearing about your journey and thank you for being so candid and heartfelt about your your experience because I feel like there's so many people out there going through this or wondering how to cope with this. And I feel like hearing your perspective helps so much.

SPEAKER_02 55:06

Yeah, I think the hardship has been shared, but we've been very thankful to have the support from fellow aviation siblings, from um other airlines, and just from communities at large. I think when there is a loss as great of as great as losing spirit was, you really saw a lot of communities rally and come together for a common purpose. And that was very cool.

SPEAKER_01 55:31

Definitely. Don't know where aviation takes you, but I know that we'll be flying together again soon. Oh yeah. So the down under we're going. Thank you for all you do every day for not only you, but for all the spirit flight ascendants. Um, I'm sure if they were all here, they would say thank you too. But from me to you on their behalf, thank you for all that you do for them every day.

SPEAKER_02 55:54

Thank you. Thank you. It's um, you know, I think the aviation industry, it's it's one of the most thankless jobs I think a lot of people have. I think there's this expectation that a lot of people have like it's your job to get me there. Yeah, but you can still thank me for it because I did it well, right?

SPEAKER_01 56:10

I'm still a human being. I'm still a human who gave up my day to be here with you.

SPEAKER_02 56:14

Right. I really didn't want to go to Billings, Montana, but here I am on Christmas Eve.

SPEAKER_01 56:19

I love Billings. All right, friends, join us next time for more humor, heart, and stories from our beverage cart. I wasn't done.

SPEAKER_00 56:27

Oh, scratch that. Well, that's all we have for today's episode. Please make sure to join us on Patreon for more behind-the-scenes content, uh, special footage, exclusive merch, and all sorts of fun stuff like early access to new episodes. Go to patreon.com slash two guys on a plane and be part of our galley gang.

SPEAKER_01 56:50

And now join us next time for more humor, heart, and stories from our beverage card.