Flight attendants union opposes sale of Spirit Airlines data to Google

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA has objected in bankruptcy court to a proposed deal under which Spirit Airlines would sell data to Google, arguing that employee information would not be adequately protected.

In a filing with the court overseeing Spirit's liquidation, the union said the deal's planned process for stripping identifying details would not necessarily shield sensitive worker records. It cited examples including disciplinary correspondence, training deficiency notes, leave and accommodation requests, internal staffing communications and payroll histories. These remain sensitive, the union argued, even without an employee's name attached.

According to the union, the agreement's privacy protections are built mainly around consumer data. Most categories describing airline employees, including time cards, travel records and tax forms, fall outside those protections. The filing stated that employee data is more sensitive than customer data but gets comparatively weaker safeguards under the current terms.

The union is asking the bankruptcy court to require that all flight attendant data be excluded from the transaction. It said it intends to keep opposing the sale unless that condition is added.

The filing noted that Google had recently prevailed on a related court matter, though the union's statement, as excerpted, did not give further detail on that ruling. The broader sale is part of proceedings tied to Spirit Airlines' liquidation.