I lost my flight attendant job when Spirit shut down. I’ve had to manage my emotions and am hopeful I’ll find new work soon.

• Julian Richardson worked as a flight attendant for Spirit Airlines for about eight years.
• He was shocked to hear about Spirit’s shutdown, despite hearing rumors of it for years.
• He is relying on his side hustle for income while he applies for more flight attendant jobs.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Julian Richardson, a 42-year-old flight attendant based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

I was a Spirit flight attendant for nearly eight years. It was my first and only job as a flight attendant, and I definitely would’ve stayed much longer if I had the chance.

When someone would get off my flight and say, “This is the best flight I’ve ever had,” it made showing up to work every day so worth it.

I’d heard rumors for years that Spirit might shut down, so I always knew it was a possibility. Still, when I woke up to an early-morning email on my phone from Spirit announcing its closure, I was shocked. I guess I didn’t think it would actually happen.

There’s a question mark in my mind when I think about job security as a flight attendant, but I’m not ready to give it up.

Everything seemed business-as-usual the day before Spirit shut down

When Spirit shut down, it seemed like everything just ceased to exist.

Fortunately, I wasn’t on a trip at the time, but the email said that all flights were canceled, and operations were winding down. Now my insurance has been halted, there is no severance pay, and it’s up in the air when I’ll receive my final paycheck.

It’s a tough situation, but I’ve managed my emotions by remembering that everything happens for a reason. I’m not super worried about losing my income because I’m confident the skills I’ve developed will help me find another job.

I don’t know what my next role will be, but I’ve already applied to airlines that have flight attendant openings.

I’m working on my side-hustle, but I’m not ready to give up the benefits of being a flight attendant

I’ve been making comedic skits on social media for a while, and it’s definitely a side hustle for me. It’s important to keep a side hustle for situations like this.

The social media income can be very up and down, but right now I’m working on getting more brand deals. Still, I enjoyed my time at Spirit, and I learned a lot. As a flight attendant, I was pretty much responsible for myself. It was up to me to wake up, make it to the airport on time, and catch the shuttle. It taught me a lot of independence and responsibility.

Also, I didn’t experience any micromanaging as a flight attendant. In my experience, you might see your supervisors or managers, but you don’t see them every day. They’re not looking over your shoulder to see what you’re doing.

I’m still pretty young, and I feel like I’m really good at what I do, so I’d like to continue working as a flight attendant. Nothing beats flight benefits. I love that part of the job. My family and I could travel at a discounted rate, so I’d definitely like to continue reaping those benefits. That being said, I’m open to other opportunities. I’m not naive enough to put myself in a box.

Eventually, I want to own my own business

Anytime you work for somebody, there’s no true job security, so I can’t say I feel like there’s job security as a flight attendant.

I think the only time you can find true job security is by working for yourself and running a business that is virtually recession-proof. That’s why my long-term goal is to eventually own my own business. Still, I’d recommend being a flight attendant to anyone.

Being a flight attendant gives you a lot of flexibility. I’ve been able to live anywhere I want. It’s kind of like a remote job in that way. I had coworkers who lived in Spain and worked for 15 days, then rested for 15 days. There aren’t many jobs where you can do that.

Flight attendants also have the opportunity to interact with people and help them have a great experience. That’s a part of the job I love.

Spirit Airlines declined to comment on this story.

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