# Google Wanted Spirit Airlines Data. Flight Attendants Found a Way to Opt Out

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/google-wanted-spirit-airlines-data-flight-attendants-found-a-way-to-opt-out/
- Published: 2026-11-12T10:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T11:37:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Wired
- Original article: https://www.wired.com/story/google-wanted-spirit-airlines-data-flight-attendants-found-a-way-to-opt-out/
- Topics: Culture, Travel

## Key points

- Google’s proposed $10 million Spirit data purchase raises worker privacy concerns.
- A third party would remove identifying information before the transfer.
- The flight attendants’ union wants similar protections at other airlines.

## Summary

Google plans to buy decades of Spirit Airlines data for $10 million as part of the airline’s liquidation, raising concerns about the privacy of workers whose records could be used to develop AI. A proposed agreement with the flight attendants’ union would require independent checks to remove identifying information before the data is transferred, and could set a precedent for protecting workers’ data in future sales.

The records reportedly include 1.99 billion emails, 664 million Microsoft Teams messages, and travel and training information dating to 1986. Medical records, employee investigations, labour relations documents and certain aviation safety information would be excluded. Google may withdraw if the cleaning process removes more than 8 per cent of the assets; a judge is due to review the agreement next week.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.