Google Secures Spirit Airlines' Massive Internal Data Cache for $10 Million

Google has acquired Spirit Airlines' internal communications records under Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which allows debtors to sell assets outside the ordinary course of business.

The dataset includes over 600 million email and chat records generated by 17,000 employees who lost their jobs when the airline shut down in May. This purchase is valued at $10 million, outbidding AI data firm Mercor.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) filed a formal objection to Alphabet's purchase, citing concerns that the dataset could be used to reidentify individuals or small groups of employees despite deidentification efforts.

A Google spokesperson stated that the company will not receive any personally identifiable information from this dataset and that it will be rigorously scrubbed of such information before receipt.