ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – For many former Spirit Airlines employees, the end of their jobs came without warning. Now, some flight attendants say they’re stuck in limbo — searching for work as airline job openings appear briefly and fill within hours.
Christian Rodriguez said May 2 marked five years for him as a Spirit flight attendant — but it also became his last day on the job.
“It hurt, to be honest. We were let go with no warning — no nothing,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the search for a new job has been discouraging.
“There’s not many openings. Everything is dried up,” he said.
CBS News aviation analyst Kris Van Cleave said airlines have indicated they plan to prioritize former Spirit employees when hiring.
“You’ve got highly trained Airbus pilots and flight attendants — experienced, seasoned professionals,” Van Cleave said. “If you have openings for those positions, why wouldn’t you look at the Spirit workforce?”
But former Spirit flight attendant Allison Steinberger said those openings can be hard to catch.
“Other airlines don’t have flight attendant applications open 24/7,” Steinberger said. “It’s usually just for a few hours one day, and it goes quick.”
That’s why Steinberger and others went to CareerSource Central Florida’s Rapid Response job fair, hoping to connect with employers outside the airline industry.
“I came here and did some pre-interviews with a couple of businesses trying to help us find jobs,” she said.
Rodriguez said the urgency was obvious.
“Everybody is trying to get jobs here left and right,” he said.
According to airline statements and schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, eight airlines have picked up routes previously flown by Spirit since the shutdown. Those airlines are Delta Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest, Frontier Airlines, Breeze Airways, JetBlue and Avianca.
Frontier Airlines picked up the most Spirit flights to and from Orlando, followed by Delta Air Lines and Breeze Airways.
At Spirit’s terminal, former employees said the shutdown still feels fresh — and some told News 6 they’re also worried about money they say they’re still owed.
“No benefits, no pay — no anything. Right now we’re just waiting in limbo,” Rodriguez said. “We have no word from the union, which doesn’t exist anymore.”