Former Spirit flight attendant reflects on airline shutdown, calls it “a grieving process”

A former Spirit Airlines flight attendant said the company’s shutdown Saturday feels “equivalent to a death,” after nearly three decades on the job.

Jonathan Mugridge, who worked for the airline for 27 years, said the closure did not come as a complete surprise following years of instability.

"Things have been up in the air for many years," Mugridge said.

He described the moment he first realized the airline was in trouble.

"The tipping point was President Trump's war with Iran," Mugridge said. "The jet fuel prices were going to go up. I knew that we were in the process of putting out our exiting strategy and how we were going to exit out of bankruptcy over this next year. They coincided in the same week."

He said internal communication had been "real strong and real consistent" in the lead-up to the shutdown, but noted a sudden silence in the final days before the announcement.

"We received an email from our CEO expressing his regret and disappointment and thanking us for our efforts," Mugridge said.

Still, he said the reality of the airline shutting down has not fully set in.

“To be honest, I don’t think I’ve said goodbye yet,” Mugridge said. “I just feel like I have a lot of time off right now.”

He described the emotional toll of losing a career that spanned his entire adult life.

“It's a process that I'll have to grieve," Mugridge said. “It’s equivalent to a death. It's carried me through my entire adult life.”

Mugridge said he joined Spirit Airlines when the airline had just 12 planes.

“I remember our plane was taking off as I was driving," Mugridge said. "It was a signal to me that this is the next chapter of your life."

Despite the airline’s struggles, Mugridge said employees held onto hope through bankruptcies, merger attempts and the pandemic.

“It really felt like a grassroots effort to keep Spirit alive,” he said.

Mugridge said the shutdown could have ripple effects beyond employees, especially for travelers who relied on low-cost fares.

“A lot of people told me stories saying if it wasn’t for us, they wouldn’t be able to get back and forth to see [family] as much as they do,” Mugridge said.

Looking ahead, Mugridge said uncertainty remains, but support from other airlines has offered some encouragement.

For now, he said he is focused on navigating what comes next.

“I cannot not have hope,” Mugridge said. “I know that things will move forward and that my next chapter will begin and I will be amazed."