Spirit Airlines' collapse leads to hundreds of airport contract worker layoffs across Florida: "It's a scary time"

Hundreds of contract workers at South Florida airports are out of a job following the sudden closure of Spirit Airlines. The layoffs affect workers not directly employed by the carrier, including those who assist passengers, handle baggage, and clean aircraft.

Helene O'Brien, Florida vice president of the SEIU Union, said the layoffs affect workers "no one's really talking about, because they were not direct employees of Spirit."

"It's a scary time," O'Brien said. "I mean, you know, I know there are wheelchair pushers for Spirit who've worked in that airport for decades, and now it's, like, starting over."

The union's figures show 120 wheelchair and baggage handlers and 80 cabin cleaners are out of work at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. At Miami International Airport, 40 ticket and gate agents were laid off, with another nine skycaps and janitors at risk.

An additional 200 baggage handlers and cabin cleaners are without work in Orlando. The union is hoping the laid-off workers will be first in line for new jobs.

The closing has also impacted local businesses. Restaurant workers in Terminal 4, the former home of Spirit, have seen a sharp drop in tips because of the lack of customers.

"It's just empty," said Alejandro, a customer at one of the restaurants.

Meanwhile, some travelers remain stranded. Jay Spiegel and Heather Kimball, who flew in from Pennsylvania, were supposed to leave on Monday but are still waiting. They now have a flight scheduled for Thursday.

Kimball described the compounding costs and lost time.

"Not only did the trip double in the price of what we're paying for everything, we had to extend the hotel three nights, we had to extend the car rental, but we also missed four days of work," Kimball said.