Google buys data from bankrupt airline Spirit for $10 million

According to court filings, US tech giant Google purchased Spirit Airlines’ internal data for $10 million in an auction during the airline’s bankruptcy proceedings with the intention of utilizing it to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models.

According to the documents, the acquired package contains over 100 million emails, 500 million Microsoft Teams communications, 30 million lines of code, pricing models, flight records, crew calendars, financial databases, and customer service procedures.

Credit card details, loyalty program information, and passenger profiles are not included. Before the technology business obtains the content, all personal information will be erased by an outside organization that Google has selected.

Mercor, a company that specializes in data for artificial intelligence (AI). Was the backup bidder in the virtual auction last Friday, but Google beat them with a price of $7.5 million.

Judge Sean Lane of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York will hold a hearing this Wednesday to approve the transaction.

Spirit Airlines became the first major U.S. airline to fail due to financial difficulties in 25 years when it halted operations on May 2.

The company filed for bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year after attempts to obtain a $500 million government bailout failed. And its reconstruction plan collapsed due to a jump in gasoline prices, which was made worse by the Iranian crisis.