Google has reportedly agreed to pay $10 million for a large collection of internal business data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines, with plans to use the information to improve its products and train AI models.
The dataset includes employee emails, Microsoft Teams messages, spreadsheets, calendars, and information related to Spirit’s marketing, productivity, and day-to-day operations. Google said the purchase covers only part of the airline’s enterprise data.
Personal information will not be included in what Google receives. A third party is expected to remove sensitive personal data before the dataset is transferred.
Google confirmed that the information could help improve its existing products and artificial intelligence systems, giving the company access to real-world corporate communications and operational data from a major airline.
The $10 million deal still requires approval from a U.S. bankruptcy judge, who is expected to review the proposed sale at a hearing on Wednesday. Google also faced competition for the dataset, with AI data company Mercor reportedly submitting a $7.5 million bid.
The sale comes as Spirit Airlines continues to liquidate assets following its financial collapse. The carrier shut down operations in May after its latest restructuring attempt failed amid rising costs and other financial pressures.
Spirit has already sold several valuable assets as part of the bankruptcy process. Its takeoff and landing slots at New York’s LaGuardia Airport were recently purchased by JetBlue for $58.5 million after the airline outbid Frontier Airlines.
Spirit’s financial problems had been building for years. The airline entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2025 after an earlier restructuring failed to stabilize the company. Efforts to reduce operations and focus on stronger routes were complicated by aircraft groundings, rising costs, and the collapse of its proposed acquisition by JetBlue.
For Google, the unusual purchase highlights the growing value of large, real-world business datasets as technology companies look for new sources of information to develop and improve increasingly sophisticated AI models.