Pilots Union Challenges Spirit Airlines’ $10 Million Data Sale to Google
The Allied Pilots Association, representing American Airlines pilots, has filed a court objection to Spirit Airlines’ $10 million sale of its legacy data to Google, citing privacy and safety concerns.
Google secured a $10 million purchase of Spirit Airlines’ internal data and custom software after the low-cost carrier ceased operations. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, lodged an objection in court, noting that over 700 of its members previously worked for Spirit and could be affected. The filing claims the transaction would reveal confidential employment and training details and could create a chilling effect on voluntary safety initiatives throughout the commercial aviation sector.
It stresses that any release of the data must guarantee full de-identification and robust confidentiality safeguards. Google maintains that the package contains no customer or credit-card information and will be stripped of identifying data. The objection joins earlier challenges from the Air Line Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, while Spirit and Google have declined to comment.
