Who is Hunter Peterson: Man behind the viral ‘Let’s Buy Spirit Airlines’ campaign that drew $214 million in pledged crowdfunding
A viral online campaign, 'Let's Buy Spirit,' emerged after Spirit Airlines ceased operations, proposing public crowdfunding to revive the carrier. Launched by creator Hunter Peterson, the initiative saw over 247,000 pledges totaling $214 million,...
By Maitreyee Thakkar, Global Desk |
AP
Spirit Airlines announced it would cease operations on May 2
Just days after Spirit Airlines officially shut down operations, an unusual online campaign emerged with a bold idea: allow ordinary people to help “buy” and revive the airline through public support and crowdfunding. The initiative, called “Let’s Buy Spirit,” was launched by social media creator Hunter Peterson and quickly exploded across TikTok, Instagram, and aviation communities online.
The campaign became so popular that its website reportedly crashed after being flooded with visitors interested in pledging support. According to figures displayed on the site before pledges were temporarily disabled, more than 247,511 “founding patrons” had collectively pledged over $214 million toward the proposed revival effort, with an average pledge size of approximately $865.
While the pledges were expressions of interest rather than verified financial commitments, the response highlighted the emotional connection many travelers had with Spirit Airlines and growing concerns about the future of affordable air travel in the United States.
The “Let’s Buy Spirit” movement is an online crowdfunding initiative created after Spirit Airlines announced it would cease operations on May 2 following years of financial struggles. The campaign proposes transforming the failed airline into a publicly supported, community-backed carrier referred to online as “The People’s Carrier.”
The idea gained traction after Hunter Peterson posted a viral TikTok video suggesting that travelers themselves could collectively revive the airline instead of relying on traditional investors or corporate buyers.
“This is a genius idea: We nationalize Spirit Airlines,” Peterson said in the video. “Owned by the people. Airline’s gone. We make a new airline.”
The proposal was partly inspired by the ownership structure of the Green Bay Packers, the NFL’s only publicly owned team. Organizers suggested that a similar model could potentially allow ordinary travelers to support or even partially own a revived airline.
The movement’s website, letsbuyspiritair.com, experienced such heavy traffic that organizers were forced to temporarily disable the pledge system while upgrading infrastructure.
The site clarified that the displayed pledge totals were unverified and did not yet represent collected funds. Even so, the scale of interest surprised many observers, including Peterson himself.
Hunter Peterson is a Los Angeles-based voice actor, digital creator, and aviation content personality whose online following expanded significantly through humorous travel videos and airline-related challenges.
According to his personal website, Peterson works professionally as a voice actor and commercial narrator, advertising fast turnaround services for brands and media companies. His site states that he has worked with major companies including Google, Nike, Microsoft, Boeing, Nissan and Hyundai. Peterson is also a 2024 Silver Telly Award winner.
On Instagram, Peterson’s profile, operating under the handle “hitherehunter”, has amassed more than 232,000 followers.
Long before the crowdfunding movement emerged, Peterson had already built a reputation for unusual airline-related content. One of his most notable YouTube projects involved flying on Spirit Airlines continuously for 24 hours while documenting the experience for viewers. During the challenge, he traveled through five of Spirit’s busiest airports, counting only the hours spent physically onboard aircraft as part of the experiment.
His campaign messaging has focused heavily on the idea that affordable flying should remain accessible to ordinary travelers rather than becoming increasingly dominated by expensive legacy carriers.
Despite its controversial reputation for extra fees and no-frills service, Spirit Airlines played a major role in keeping airfare prices low across the United States.
The airline became famous for its ultra-low-cost “bare fare” model, where passengers paid a low base fare and additional charges for optional services such as baggage, seat selection, and onboard amenities.
Industry analysts often referred to Spirit’s impact on pricing as “the Spirit effect,” a phenomenon in which airfare prices dropped significantly on routes served by the airline due to increased competition.
Spirit’s presence also pressured larger carriers such as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines to introduce stripped-down “basic economy” tickets aimed at competing with budget-conscious travelers.
For many passengers, Spirit represented one of the few remaining ways to access genuinely cheap domestic airfare.
The campaign became so popular that its website reportedly crashed after being flooded with visitors interested in pledging support. According to figures displayed on the site before pledges were temporarily disabled, more than 247,511 “founding patrons” had collectively pledged over $214 million toward the proposed revival effort, with an average pledge size of approximately $865.
While the pledges were expressions of interest rather than verified financial commitments, the response highlighted the emotional connection many travelers had with Spirit Airlines and growing concerns about the future of affordable air travel in the United States.
What is the ‘Let’s Buy Spirit’ campaign?
The “Let’s Buy Spirit” movement is an online crowdfunding initiative created after Spirit Airlines announced it would cease operations on May 2 following years of financial struggles. The campaign proposes transforming the failed airline into a publicly supported, community-backed carrier referred to online as “The People’s Carrier.”
The idea gained traction after Hunter Peterson posted a viral TikTok video suggesting that travelers themselves could collectively revive the airline instead of relying on traditional investors or corporate buyers.
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“This is a genius idea: We nationalize Spirit Airlines,” Peterson said in the video. “Owned by the people. Airline’s gone. We make a new airline.”
The proposal was partly inspired by the ownership structure of the Green Bay Packers, the NFL’s only publicly owned team. Organizers suggested that a similar model could potentially allow ordinary travelers to support or even partially own a revived airline.
Website crashes after massive public response
The movement’s website, letsbuyspiritair.com, experienced such heavy traffic that organizers were forced to temporarily disable the pledge system while upgrading infrastructure.
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“The movement grew so fast it overwhelmed our servers,” a message posted on the website read. “We are upgrading infrastructure right now and will be back with full pledge functionality within 24-48 hours.”The site clarified that the displayed pledge totals were unverified and did not yet represent collected funds. Even so, the scale of interest surprised many observers, including Peterson himself.
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“This started as a joke and this is rapidly going out of control in the best possible way,” Peterson said in a follow-up TikTok video after the campaign went viral.Who is Hunter Peterson?
Hunter Peterson is a Los Angeles-based voice actor, digital creator, and aviation content personality whose online following expanded significantly through humorous travel videos and airline-related challenges.
According to his personal website, Peterson works professionally as a voice actor and commercial narrator, advertising fast turnaround services for brands and media companies. His site states that he has worked with major companies including Google, Nike, Microsoft, Boeing, Nissan and Hyundai. Peterson is also a 2024 Silver Telly Award winner.
On Instagram, Peterson’s profile, operating under the handle “hitherehunter”, has amassed more than 232,000 followers.
Long before the crowdfunding movement emerged, Peterson had already built a reputation for unusual airline-related content. One of his most notable YouTube projects involved flying on Spirit Airlines continuously for 24 hours while documenting the experience for viewers. During the challenge, he traveled through five of Spirit’s busiest airports, counting only the hours spent physically onboard aircraft as part of the experiment.
His campaign messaging has focused heavily on the idea that affordable flying should remain accessible to ordinary travelers rather than becoming increasingly dominated by expensive legacy carriers.
Why Spirit Airlines mattered to budget travelers
Despite its controversial reputation for extra fees and no-frills service, Spirit Airlines played a major role in keeping airfare prices low across the United States.
The airline became famous for its ultra-low-cost “bare fare” model, where passengers paid a low base fare and additional charges for optional services such as baggage, seat selection, and onboard amenities.
Industry analysts often referred to Spirit’s impact on pricing as “the Spirit effect,” a phenomenon in which airfare prices dropped significantly on routes served by the airline due to increased competition.
Spirit’s presence also pressured larger carriers such as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines to introduce stripped-down “basic economy” tickets aimed at competing with budget-conscious travelers.
For many passengers, Spirit represented one of the few remaining ways to access genuinely cheap domestic airfare.
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