HENDERSON (KTNV) — Two Henderson flight attendants say they were blindsided when Spirit Airlines shut down on May 2, leaving 999 Las Vegas-area employees without jobs, income, or benefits overnight.
Jamie Patzer spent nearly 20 years as a Spirit Airlines flight attendant, hired on May 8, 2006. She was just days away from her 20-year work anniversary when the airline closed.
WATCH | Spirit Airlines shutdown leaves 999 Las Vegas employees without jobs, benefits
"I never knew getting on the plane that last day was my last day, that no one is getting on a Spirit plane again. It's hard," Patzer said.
Patzer, 47, built much of her adult life around the airline. She became a flight attendant after a divorce, having flown only twice before pursuing the career. About 15 of her nearly 20 years with Spirit were based in Las Vegas. Her coworkers became family — calling her an aunt or big sister.
"It was a huge part of my life, I did so many things for this company," Patzer said.
The closure hit just days before she would have marked two decades with the airline.
"So you were laid off 6 days before that mark," Patzer said.
For Patzer, the loss goes beyond a paycheck.
"Does it feel like you lost more than a job? Absolutely, yeah," Patzer said.
"When I think of Spirit I don't think of the corporation, I think of the people I flew with and the family that we created," Patzer said.
One of those people is fellow Henderson resident Nadine Jeter, a laid-off Spirit flight attendant who returned to the airline about 4 years ago after previously working as a flight attendant and then switching careers.
"We're just a family and it's just shocking and hard to believe that it did take place and it happened," Jeter said.
Both women say they saw no signs pointing to a full and immediate closure. The first indication came in the middle of the night.
"At three o'clock in the morning we got that email, the email that Spirit was closing," Jeter said.
The financial impact was immediate. Jeter recently bought a new car and moved into a new home. Patzer is facing her mortgage.
"I'm struggling you know and right now I'm like how do I pay my mortgage payment for this month," Patzer said.
"I have no income now, I have nothing and I'm scared, I'm really scared," Jeter said.
With no income or benefits, both women are applying to other airlines and seeking help to maintain their health. Jeter has applied for Medicaid. Patzer, who has a thyroid condition requiring regular specialist visits, had an appointment she was forced to cancel after her Flex Spending Card was cut off the day Spirit closed.
"So I had to go apply at the Social Services Office for Medicaid. I have no benefits," Jeter said.
"I used to use my Flex Spending Card but they canceled that literally the day of, so the funds I had on there were no longer available and I had an appointment I had to cancel this week," Patzer said.
Despite the hardship, both women spoke highly of Spirit and the people they worked with. Wednesday marked the first time Patzer had seen Spirit's yellow planes since her last flight on April 30 — a moment that may also be her last.
"I don't know if I can say goodbye, yeah I'm not ready," Patzer said.
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