Sitting on the tarmac at O'Hare. I presume it just happened to be here when Spirit ended abruptly. What happens to it now?
Posted by deane-barker@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 144 comments
Longjumping_Link_110@reddit
Hopefully Miami beach will be a safe place to visit next spring break, that's what.
euph_22@reddit
Most of their fleet was leased, in which case the owner flies it to an appropriate facility,, rebrands it, maybe reconfigures the interior and leases it to someone else (not necessarily in that order).
It it was a Spirit owned plane, the trustee might move it to a storage field while they auction off the planes and it will either be flown by someone else or potentially stripped for parts (their fleet was pretty young so probably will get reused but you never know).
purpleplatapi@reddit
NPR posted a story today in which they said exactly that, but also pointed out that there have been multiple incidents where the contracted pilot who's job it is to fly it back to the appropriate facility just showed up in jeans and a T-shirt and the airports wouldn't let them take custody of the plane, essentially because they were so used to the idea of all of the jet line pilots having a work ID and a uniform that like "cheapest possible contract pilot without an ID other than his pilots license and no uniform" was thought to be an elaborate scam, and there's no way for the airports to contact Spirit, to double check the credentials, because Spirit doesn't exist, so these guys just like can't fly the plane home.
Thick_Cookie_7838@reddit
The npr people don’t know what they’re talking about. If the pilot has his credentials and the paperwork for the plane the airport really can’t tell them they can’t take it. If the owner ( the lease holder) has hired them out and they have the proper stuff and airport can’t tell them to piss off
dunequads@reddit
You just gave me an excellent idea
chefsak@reddit
No way an airline pilot shows up to an airport without some form of ID. Dress code doesn’t matter when ferrying an aircraft but you can’t get onto the tarmac without an ID security card… this is completely false. Source: am aircraft mechanic/pilot.
Chinstrap6@reddit
You just need to have an escort. It varies by airport but I’ve gotten onto most ramps with just my drivers license.
Though yeah, I wouldn’t escort someone who just came up to me and said “I’m here to take that plane.” Regardless of how they were dressed if the company didn’t tell me beforehand.
SharkSheppard@reddit
So top hat and monocle are not enough to get me access?
viperlemondemon@reddit
Clipboard and safety vest might help more
amIdaddingthisright@reddit
hivis vest is the universal access card
rendrenner@reddit
And a ladder.
viperlemondemon@reddit
Clipboard helps
naclest79@reddit
Pants are optional.
ThemDamnPinkertons@reddit
You just need a drivers license and disregard for safety.
Trust me it’s easier than you think. Airports don’t have contact info for these repo companies on hand
rainwolf511@reddit
An fbo at my local airport has let me on the tarmack several times just to get photos no id check no escort granted they might have recognized me from having interviewed for a ramp agent job
LupineChemist@reddit
Watch cockpit casual on YouTube. It's all about repo/ferry pilots.
Steve has said that he's hiring a lot of Spirit pilots to fly their old planes to their new homes
Time_Employer1345@reddit
They probably won’t be contacting Spirit for the leased asset, rather the owner of it
wrongwayup@reddit
Not surprising really. There are no keys to an airliner...
Great_Specialist_267@reddit
Actually there are (they are usually left onboard).
justtijmen@reddit
But something that is very normal in the ferry business
cn45@reddit
you can’t crash ferry’s into buildings very easily unless they are on the river.
gostkillr@reddit
Google and Wikipedia are free https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry_flying
CharacterUse@reddit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry_flying
Lazy-Bug-9805@reddit
According to Speed 2 it is possible...
midsprat123@reddit
NPR doesn’t know what the fuck they are talking about.
There are only a handful of way to get onto the AoA (aircraft operations area)
The two most common are:
Airport issued SIDA (Secure Identification Area) badge
Airline issued ID.
Any ferry pilot will still have some form of “airline” ID
AgKnight14@reddit
The article quoted the managing partner of Nomadic Aviation Group, which is actively ferrying former Spirit aircraft
ryguymcsly@reddit
I imagine the airports have unpaid spirit bills so they’re probably not in a rush to let their assets leave.
Prudent_Lake3061@reddit
Nomadic has a YouTube channel if you are interested in their operations. It's called Cockpit Casual. They do these kind of things all the time.
Character_Pudding_94@reddit
NPR didn't say it, they aired a clip of the guy in charge of recovering some of the aircraft saying it. Do airports have a protocol for someone showing up to take a plane with no authorization from the airline painted on the side of that plane?
Prudent_Lake3061@reddit
If you watch the Cockpit Casual videos, you'll learn that the company takes care of all the paperwork & permits. The guys at Nomadic were even involved in repossession planes from Russian Airlines when the Ukraine war started.
Character_Pudding_94@reddit
I listened to the NPR reporting and re-read it before commenting, and I learned that the guys at Nomadic have encountered pushback trying to pick up some of the Spirit aircraft. I'm inclined to believe it. Maybe an isolated incident was sensationalized, but hey, look at us both talking about the same source which also produces monetized content.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
NPR is wrong? Shocker!!!
GenericAccount13579@reddit
Huh? NPR is a perfectly reputable news agency. Or well, set of agencies I suppose.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
If I’m being honest, it’s hard to call any news agency reputable any more. They all tell what gets them attention sadly.
Spin737@reddit
What was incorrect?
biggerty123@reddit
Link to story?
epstienskiller1738@reddit
who exactly leased it
euph_22@reddit
Spirit
epstienskiller1738@reddit
oh i’m sorry thought spirit owned them and was leasing them out
Morganrow@reddit
Is that really what's good for the consumer, though? For it to go away
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
There’s no changing it now. The time for that question was years ago. Spirit ain’t coming back.
euph_22@reddit
Did I say anything about that?
Someone asked a question, I answered it. You want to talk about the impact on consumers I'm guessing there are about 50 active threads discussing that topic.
Thick_Cookie_7838@reddit
It’s owned by a lease holder, it gets returned to them
random_bunny_hugger@reddit
It’s still full of passengers who haven’t paid the $55 disembarkation fee…
SimulationPC@reddit
more airbus comes to the market and ... PW1100 engines
Spencemw@reddit
there is one parked in Miami as well outside of 8L. My guess is the owner will collect soon and take it to Victorville or Roswell until they cant fins someone to lease it.
CaptBob_Nomadic@reddit
I don't want to get too deep into the ID combo due to security protocols, but anyone that flies for Nomadic has an ID. We also get escorted through some higher secure areas after being vetted. We do not wear uniforms when flying domestic USA. Never an issue. Some foreign countries, uniforms required. Any pushback by airports on these was just needing to obtain more legal docs and some changing of wording in order for the lawyers to alleviate any liability.
here4daratio@reddit
?
Electrical-Job8700@reddit
Saw a couple of them last weekend in CLT- waaaaaaaay off by themselves.
timweak@reddit
its free if you hurry
Curious_Seagull2635@reddit
These planes are mostly owned by leasing companies. Airlines will probably buy up these leases and they’ll find new homes
jlmurdock77@reddit
Nomadic come get it and ferry it to the lessor
DeedsF1@reddit
Out of curiosity, are you a pilot or do you also follow Nomadic on their socials?
LookoutBel0w@reddit
Many pilots don’t follow him because he’s a SCAB
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
What’s funny is…. Scab or not the guy makes more money ferrying planes and owning his own business than the people complaining about him jumping the picket line. Just saying. I don’t think he gives a crap what the airline industry thinks of him. He’s getting paid to fly their planes when they go under.
CaptBob_Nomadic@reddit
Correct, he does not care what the airline industry thinks about him. Meanwhile, we are paying Spirit at Nomadic. I’d challenge all the union brothers and the union itself to start a fund to pay them. At least keep their health insurance in place. I do not care what you say or think about me, but it’s pretty damn pathetic when pilots criticize me but do nothing to make the situation better themselves.
NoCreativeName2016@reddit
Are you open to sharing more about how this process works? When were you first contacted about an entire fleet of planes that has to be relocated? Are you able to be insist on payment in advance for something like this, where liabilities could end up dwarfing assets? How can the airline repo industry grow quickly enough to meet the massive demand from an airline this size going belly up? What other interesting tidbits can you share?
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
These two are not shy about sharing their experiences and stories. Have a listen to the podcasts. It’s a wealth of good information and entertaining talk
CaptBob_Nomadic@reddit
Much of those questions will be answered on our Cockpit Casual Podcast that comes out today. It’s only on Apple and Spotify as it’s audio only this week. A special one that will be coming out in the next week will be on YouTube as well and includes a lot of behind the scenes video.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
These two are not shy about sharing their experiences and stories. Have a listen to the podcasts. It’s a wealth of good information and entertaining talk!
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
People on the internet are instant critics of everything and it certainly is pathetic. By the way, awesome to see you respond! I love the podcast and Cockpit Casual. Keep up the awesome work and as always, pay no attention to trolls who have nothing better to do than criticize success because they have none!
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
He couldn’t care less. He has been quite open about the fact that yes, he flew for Eastern from 1989 to 1991 and no, he doesn’t feel bad about it. If I remember correctly his take on it was that he was flying at a regional for poverty wages and ALPA never did anything for him, so he sees no reason why he owes them anything.
What makes this especially silly is that this is all stuff that happened in the late 80s/early 90s. It was half a lifetime ago, normal people would have stopped caring a long time ago.
CaptBob_Nomadic@reddit
You summarized it well. I don’t hide the fact and I don’t give a damn what union airline pilots think about me. I flew Part 121 for the next 10 years after EAL without any issues. Plenty of non-union places to work. I didn’t have a 4 year degree, which was required at the time to get hired by a legacy carrier. I wasn’t getting on with a major carrier regardless of Eastern strike or not. I was 23 and had nothing to lose and everything to gain at that point. As it turned out, I was much happier in smaller flight ops flying large jets. My next job after Eastern was a small DC9 charter company that flew sports teams and casino junkets. They made me a DC9 captain at 25. It was an incredibly fun place to work. From there it just got better and better and I eventually created my own business…what transformed into Nomadic. Life is great, I’ve got no regrets. My life has turned out to be way more satisfying than just having an airline career. I have hired over 500 pilots over the years, many who turned 60 and were tossed out of the airlines before the age limit changed. At 60 you still need to make a living and most want to keep flying. In the 80’s and 90’s pilot wages were low and many pilots lost any retirement they had due to the airline’s mismanagement of those funds. I get a lot of satisfaction from the fact that I was able to put so many of those guys to work over the years along with out of work pilots who needed to make some money while between jobs. So, say what you want, I’m okay with myself. For all of you critics out there, look in the mirror and ask yourself what you have done for the industry or other pilots. How deep have you reached into your pockets to make sure an out of work pilot can make his mortgage, pay his health insurance, make a car payment, buy a ticket and hotel for an interview. Why isn’t there a fund to help Spirit pilots at least pay for health insurance? What did all those union dues get the Spirit guys at this point? How many fellow union pilots would kick in 1000 a month into a fund? Why doesn’t the union start that fund. Why isn’t one already in place for these situations? Take a look in the mirror and go make changes that support your fellow pilots instead of making yourself feel good because you volunteer on some stupid committee and say the same old union rhetoric that is literally 100 years old. The airlines will see massive change in the next 30 years, and it will create much upheaval and loss of the classic pilot job. You better prepare now and start figuring out how to take care of out of work pilots or accept and adapt to what’s coming. A 100 year old union mentality will take you all off the cliff. If you’re going to survive, you better get some new thinking in your union.
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
Whoa, you responded to my post. That's cool! Looking forward to listening to your upcoming podcast about the Spirit situation.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
Exactly. People need to let things go!
LookoutBel0w@reddit
It’s not funny, maybe irony. He makes good money but he works hard for it.
Also life isn’t about money, reputation is important too
CaptBob_Nomadic@reddit
Do you really think I have a bad reputation in the larger aviation industry? You don’t build a successful company in aviation that operates for over 25 years having a bad reputation.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
I understand reputation is important. Irony is definitely the correct term. I’m just saying, the reputation of his company among the leasing companies he works for seem to be very good. The point that he was a scab at Eastern has lost its relevance. From what he says, he doesn’t want to work 121 ever again. He will most likely retire from ferrying with a pretty penny to sit on. Degrading people on their past decisions when he probably couldn’t afford to strike may be a bit much.
rob189@reddit
How so?
LookoutBel0w@reddit
He scabbed at eastern.
Most scabs had a hard time getting hired at airlines after eastern went under. Notice he doesn’t fly 121 anymore
HNack09@reddit
What does scab mean in this context? Like the same as filling a job while workers are striking? I’m kinda new, sorry, and don’t know all the terminology
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
Bob Allen (one of Nomadic’s owners) worked at Eastern Airlines from 1989 to 1991 during the strike there. A few people online continue to whine about it but I have a very hard time caring. When these old union farts keep bitching about something that happened 35+ years ago it just sounds ridiculous to those of us who work normal jobs.
sweller55@reddit
I’m a newer guy (relatively) in the industry. Scabs have no place here.
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
Bob founded his own company, so the opinions of people like you are utterly irrelevant to him.
Pilots at major airlines in the US are some of the most pampered workers anywhere. Hearing guys who make $200k+ while working 12-14 days per month bitch about scabs as if they were coal miners or steel mill workers gets absurd pretty quickly.
InsideOfYourMind@reddit
Initially I agreed with you. But airline salaries, job prospects, have all declined while hours have gone up. The cushy airline jobs are quickly disappearing. Didn’t scabs directly aid in this decline?
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
Airline salaries in the US are amazing. For the first time ever the regionals are paying decent wages as well.
madmike99@reddit
Are you using a 35 year old incident for today’s conditions?
Mainline pilots are pampered in NA.
LookoutBel0w@reddit
Scabs have no place in the industry. Your opinion that my opinion is irrelevant, is irrelevant.
BobMcGeoff2@reddit
Scab is a term used in labor relations in regard to strikes. Like you said, they're workers that the company brings in to take the jobs of striking ones. They can be in any industry, not specific to aviation.
syfari@reddit
Yeah that’s exactly what it means. Look up the master scab list.
Turbofan55@reddit
They said the other day (on socials) that they’ve been busy moving Spirit planes around the country.
roboNgineer@reddit
Also taken at O’Hare
kaisermikeb@reddit
I'm just sitting here with my $45 share of the public buyout fund wondering what small portion of that plane might be mine! Though I'm hoping it's not racking up dock/apron/whatever fees lol
No_Opportunity_2558@reddit
Someone will fly the plane to phoenix
FortyMinuteKebabs@reddit
This! I saw a handful heading there on flightradar yesterday.
domesystem@reddit
Facebook marketplace
Mekroval@reddit
No lowballers, I know what I got!
DN10@reddit
Is it still available?
Head_Phase57@reddit
is this still 4 sell?
hey_look_a_kitty@reddit
Is this still available
domesystem@reddit
IF THE AD IS UP IT'S AVAILABLE
GOBBLESS
Left_Pool_5565@reddit
I’ll trade you a laptop and a lifted GMC truck. Straight up. Truck has low miles.
DN10@reddit
Is it still available?
ihatereddit999976780@reddit
I’m going to eat it.
balsadust@reddit
Leasing company's problem
HAV816@reddit
You can’t park there. lol
Powerful_Season68@reddit
I live in Goodyear Arizona and I saw a few of them flying into our little airport yesterday
ae74@reddit
Another one landing in the next 15 minutes.
ae74@reddit
Nomadic is flying one of the Spirit planes from Chicago to Marana right now.
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/OMD204/history/20260509/1710Z/KORD/KMZJ
B7three@reddit
Any idea what will happen to all the jets?
Typical-Boot-839@reddit
I think Colin Jost and Pete Davidson will buy it
rob_s_458@reddit
If it's leased, the lessor will take possession and likely hire a pilot to fly it to a maintenance facility to be prepared for the next lessee if they have a decent life left in them. If it's one of the few they own, it'll probably get sent to the desert and parted out to pay creditors
DeedsF1@reddit
This!
Nomadic Aviation Group seems to be the main company shuffling the birds around from their respective airports to PHX.
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/08/nx-s1-5812851/spirit-liquidation-next-step-planes
DudleyAndStephens@reddit
There will definitely be a Cockpit Casual episode about this!
DeedsF1@reddit
I would imagine so.
Stahi@reddit
Becomes Spirit Halloween, obviously.
AshleyAshes1984@reddit
I mean, a flying Spirit Halloween store would be a rad stunt to pull. Would be kinda cruel to do it in a Spirit branded plane, but would be cool to see in a charter of some sort.
I wonder how you'd have to pack that so all the merch was 'stable' but 'displayable'.
Stahi@reddit
Relevant.
naclest79@reddit
David S. Pumpkins needs to be the Captain of this aircraft. "Any questions?"
xIllustrious_Passion@reddit
Thanks for reminding me of David Pumpkins!
naclest79@reddit
RocketshipRoadtrip@reddit
Capt. David s pumpkins has previously landed in the Hudson. Will he be landing in the Hudson on this flight as well?
naclest79@reddit
That was his alter ego Sully, doesn't count.
Timely_Entrance_7931@reddit
Probably top 5 skits of the modern SNL era.
Great-Appearance-714@reddit
Please, whatever leasing agency owns these or whoever buys them, just make 1 or 2 of them a Spirit Halloween livery for the summer and fall. Maybe not the best to fly into a snowy BOS for Christmas on a spirit Halloween plane.
Ooh- make a Spirited (Ryan Reynolds/Will Ferrell) one for Christmas.
intensenerd@reddit
Pretty sure you’re the only other person I’ve ever seen mention that movie outside of Christmastime. LOVE THAT MOVIE.
domesystem@reddit
GOOD AFTERNOON!
Sad-Equivalent9486@reddit
Looks like lots of NEO’s will be on the market looking for new homes.
CoastalAviator@reddit
This was DFW earlier this week. My guess is they all go into storage until they are sold or released. I was on my way back from a visit to the Mojave boneyard where they will eventually go to be converted into beer cans or Plane Tags.
LowBatteryLife@reddit
Here in Orlando all but one Spirit plane are parked off in a corner, but one has just been seemingly abandoned on the ramp, not attached to a jet bridge or anything. Just there, waiting all alone by a deserted airside. RIP.
aqaba_is_over_there@reddit
I flew out of Orlando on Thursday and counted five.
K1MURA1@reddit
It’s going on Facebook Marketplace.
stuck_inmissouri@reddit
It will probably sit there until it’s repossessed by the lessor. The fun part is that the engines, apu, and airframe may all be on separate leases and the courts will get to decide who, and how they are divvied up
halovet125@reddit
Hey so i actually work for the company that “parked” it and have a little bit of insight i can share. Spirit called us and had us to facilitate common use space for 4 of their aircraft. 2 currently live at the deice pad(cdf) and another 2 live next to Felecia on the orchard pad. My understanding is they’re gonna be flown out sometime next week by a 3rd party(probably nomadic). Officially they’re owned by a bunch of different creditors and atm no one knows who owns what or how much.
sporkemon@reddit
I love seeing felicia on ORD streams, tell her the internet says hi🤗
ItsKlobberinTime@reddit
Loblaw has a perfect opportunity for a new Canadian ULCC. no name™️ presents plane: flies places
Finraziel@reddit
Omg, I love it. On the plane, it says:
airplane avion
AmbitionOfPhilipJFry@reddit
Spirit leased I think, they're gonna get towed and flown back by repo pilots.
jessevargas@reddit
I just imagined a repo pilot being some burly guy that waits for the crew to do the walk-around or something similar and then they run in with a pushback truck, roll it back and fly away with it.
purpleplatapi@reddit
The NPR article had a great anecdote about the fact that the contracted pilots in charge of flying them home are having a heck of a time proving to the airports that they are in fact allowed to fly the plane. They don't have a uniform, so they're wearing jeans and a T-shirt, they don't have a Spirit work ID (because they're contractors), no one can call Spirit to double check, so essentially some Burly guy really did walk up, and he was like "This is my plane now" and the airports were like we are so being scammed right now.
jessevargas@reddit
Wow!!! That’s crazy! I wasn’t that far off. They may not be running away with the plane but like you said, it’s pretty similar. Thanks for sharing.
philipjfry1578@reddit
Off topic, but you're the first person I've seen in the wild with a similar name to mine... I guess we share the same brain wave! (or lack thereof...)
OutrageousTime4868@reddit
Dibs
thesaunders@reddit
2nd dibs
dont_joshme@reddit
Does there need to be a mega thread for all that is Spirit? I feel like all I see are pics of planes waiting to be ferried (which has been asked and answered a ton) or flight radar pictures of ferry flights.
MShabo@reddit
There are two over there. One yellow livery and one white livery.
AllanCD@reddit
Banana Ball Air
Nortonlg1@reddit
FoRiZon3@reddit
That's the Spirit 💪🏻
burritoresearch@reddit
Now Nomadic comes and gets it for the lessor.
User_Error_6505@reddit
Sadly, it'll be sent to an orphanage.
CounterSimple3771@reddit
Bank repo
SneakyTrashPanda256@reddit
I think the Savannah Bananas get them lol
FixMy106@reddit
It will be spirited away. (By the owners)