Influencer Gets 150K to Buy Spirit as People's Airline

Hunter Peterson has dreamed of running an airline since he was seven years old, and Spirit's shutdown just handed him the chance of a lifetime.

When Spirit Airlines announced it was closing down on May 2, Peterson saw opportunity where others saw loss. The voice actor and social media influencer posted a video proposing something wild: What if regular Americans pooled together to buy the airline and run it democratically?

His math is simple. About 250 million Americans are over 18. If just 20% of them paid the cost of an average Spirit ticket (around $30 to $40), they could purchase the airline outright.

Peterson wants Spirit to operate like the Green Bay Packers, the only NFL team without a controlling owner. Instead, more than half a million stockholders own the Packers and make major decisions through elections. No other American sports team works this way, and no U.S. airline has ever tried it.

The response has been massive. In just 48 hours, Peterson's videos racked up tens of millions of views across Instagram and TikTok. He launched a website called letsbuyspiritair.com, and nearly 150,000 people have already committed their support.

Spirit's collapse came after years of financial trouble, multiple bankruptcies, and rising fuel costs linked to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The airline industry has long been dominated by massive institutional investors like Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and Elliott Management, leaving regular travelers with little say in how airlines operate.

The Ripple Effect

Whether Peterson's plan becomes reality or stays a dream, the overwhelming response reveals something important. Americans are exhausted with the current state of air travel, where a handful of giant corporations control their options and experiences.

The idea of a people-owned airline has struck a chord because it offers what travelers rarely feel anymore: a voice. Imagine voting on baggage policies, seat sizes, or which routes to add. Imagine an airline that answers to passengers instead of hedge funds.

Peterson's vision represents more than just one airline. It's sparking conversations about what's possible when regular people mobilize around shared frustration and turn it into collective action.

A democratic airline may sound far-fetched, but so did a community-owned football team until Green Bay made it work for over a century.