Spirit Airlines workers fear missing final paychecks as 300 Metro Detroit flight attendants lose jobs

Spirit Airlines' sudden shutdown over the weekend left thousands of employees without jobs and customers scrambling for refunds and alternative travel plans.

The airline says it has reimbursed most customers who held tickets, and is still processing a small percentage of remaining refunds.

Antonio Mancheno, president of AFA-CWA Local 76, said the collapse has been devastating for flight attendants who built careers at the airline.

"It's been really hard for us to, like, process what's been going on over the last 72 hours, because we lost, we lost a family, and we lost our identity together at the same time," Mancheno, who worked as a Spirit flight attendant for 11 years, said. "Once I joined, I knew it was where I was going to be there for probably my entire career," he said.

About 300 flight attendants in Metro Detroit lost their jobs when the airline ceased operations. Mancheno said all employee benefits ended when Spirit's last flight landed.

"We don't even know if we're going to get our last paychecks," he said.

Mancheno said many former employees will be forced to tap retirement savings to cover immediate expenses.

"Most of us are going to have to pull it out and use it as emergency funds, because a lot of flight attendants live paycheck to paycheck," he said.

The international flight attendants' union has sent a list of demands to the Trump Administration, calling for full payment of workers' earned benefits and continuation of healthcare coverage through the end of the year.

Customers are also dealing with the fallout. Donna Ja, a Metro Detroit resident, had a Spirit flight canceled that she had booked to attend her nephew's high school graduation in New Jersey. She looked into rebooking through another airline but said the added cost would cut into plans she had made for her nephew.

"I realized, like, okay, it's going to be a couple of $100 more, which will ultimately be taken away from his prom experience and the surprise that I have for him," Ja said.

Ja said she has not yet received her refund. Still, she said she plans to make the trip regardless — even if that means driving 10 hours to New Jersey.

"Definitely going to make it happen by any means," she said.