Spirit’s bankrupt, but its data is flying high after US$10m Google deal

Google has acquired a large collection of data from Spirit Airlines, the bankrupt US budget airline, for US$10 million (RM42.3 million) to aid in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, according to filings in the airline's bankruptcy proceedings. The acquisition, made through an auction, encompasses approximately 100 million emails and 500 million conversations on Microsoft's Teams messaging platform, along with software and pricing data.

Google stated that all personally identifiable information would be eliminated by a third party prior to the data's transfer. The dataset, according to Google, could "be beneficial in enhancing our products and AI models," as reported by US media outlets such as Axios on Monday. This purchase is part of a trend among AI companies seeking to acquire internal corporate communications data, including from defunct startups, to train their systems.

Such data may assist AI models in emulating real-world business processes. AI company Mercor was the losing bidder in the Spirit auction, having submitted a bid of US$7.5 million (RM31.7 million), as per the bankruptcy documents. Spirit Airlines ceased operations in early May following its second bankruptcy filing within less than a year in August 2025.

The budget carrier had initially intended to emerge from bankruptcy with a diminished debt burden, but this objective was thwarted by a significant surge in jet fuel prices amidst the conflict with Iran.