Google’s $10M Spirit Airlines Data Bid Hits Turbulence As Union Fights Sale

Google’s $10 million bid for Spirit Airlines’ internal data is facing opposition from the union representing the airline’s flight attendants. The archive includes more than 100 million employee emails, over 500 million Microsoft Teams messages and other business records that Google plans to use for product development and AI training. While customer and loyalty program data are excluded, the union argues that employees could still potentially be identified from anonymized records. It has also raised concerns about consent and possible aviation automation. A bankruptcy court has postponed the hearing until September 9, when the proposed sale will return for consideration.