Google's Spirit Airlines Data Bid Hit by Flight Attendant Union Objections

Google's bid to buy Spirit Airlines' internal business data for $10 million has encountered turbulence. The data package includes roughly 100 million emails, 500 million Teams items, decades of payroll and crew records, and about 30 million lines of code. However, a flight attendants' union has objected to the sale, arguing that the privacy terms protect customers rather than employees.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA filed a limited objection to the sale, asking the court to decline the transaction if it does not extend the same level of protections to flight attendant data as it does to consumer data. The union is concerned about employment records by Spirit Airlines that are included in the data package.

Google's bid was successful, but a rival bidder has since offered $12.5 million for the data. Google plans to use the data to train AI models, which could provide valuable insights into customer behavior and airline operations. However, the union's objection raises concerns about employee privacy and the potential misuse of sensitive information.