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Public Campaign to Buy Spirit Airlines Gains Momentum

A social media initiative encouraging the public to buy Spirit Airlines has rapidly gained traction, with over 36,000 pledges totaling nearly $22.8 million. Launched by voice actor Hunter Peterson, the campaign aims to nationalize the airline, allowing it to be owned by the people. Despite technical difficulties with the website, interest continues to grow, with the concept trending on Google. Peterson emphasizes that no money is being collected at this stage, and the pledges are non-binding. The movement seeks to provide an alternative to private equity ownership, aiming for community-driven management of the airline.
By Narendra Chaudhary May 4, 2026, 02:13 IST

A Unique Initiative to Save Spirit Airlines


A new social media initiative encouraging the public to collectively purchase the struggling Spirit Airlines has quickly gained popularity, amassing tens of thousands of pledges in just a few days. This concept was introduced by Hunter Peterson, a voice actor, who shared a TikTok video that garnered 2.8 million views by Sunday afternoon. In his video, he proposed that if a fraction of the over 250 million adults in the U.S. contributed a small amount—approximately the price of a standard ticket—the airline could be acquired collectively. "This is a genius idea," he stated in the video. "We nationalize Spirit Airlines, owned by the people." Following this, Peterson launched a website, letsbuyspirit.com, on Saturday to rally support. By Sunday, the site reported over 36,000 "founding patrons" pledging a total of around $22.8 million, with an average contribution of $623, although these numbers have not been independently verified. The campaign's popularity surged, with the search term "let's buy spirit com" trending on Google, accumulating over 100,000 searches in just 17 hours.



However, the website faced technical difficulties due to the high volume of visitors. Initial messages indicated: "YOUR RESPONSE CRASHED THE SITE. The movement grew so fast it overwhelmed our servers." By Sunday afternoon, the site was no longer accessible. In a follow-up video, Peterson acknowledged the issues, stating, "Website is very broken. I built that in like an hour and like, it's terrible," and mentioned he was working on a rebuild while seeking help from developers. He also noted that several major media outlets had reached out for interviews.



Peterson emphasized that the campaign is not currently accepting any funds. "Register your intent. I won't take any money," he clarified, noting that the pledges are non-binding. Addressing concerns raised online, he stated: "Just to clarify, we've taken on $0. These are non-binding pledges." The initiative aims to present an alternative to private equity ownership, asserting on the website that "the passengers, the workers, and the communities Spirit served can take it back." Peterson expressed that he does not wish to personally own the airline but rather wants it to be managed "on behalf of the people," granting decision-making authority to those who support the campaign instead of outside investors.