A former Spirit Airlines flight attendant is sharing her story after the carrier that she worked for over 15 years shut down over the weekend. Semone Westmaas had recently received clearance to return to her job after battling cancer. She said the job was an experience that she couldn’t wait to go back to, until she heard the news. “I found my ID and my purse that I hadn’t touched in two years. I started pulling everything out and then when this hit the news, I kept saying ‘Spirit is going to pull out. We’re going to pull out. We’re always full our flights are always full,'” she said. However, the airline wasn’t able to pull through and shuttered on Saturday. “Everything has come to an end and it was just like that. Overnight you woke up to the news saying Spirit has seized all flights,” said Westmaas. The experience was difficult for Westmaas because she said that the company was good to her and work had became her safe space. “It’s a place to run away. It’s a place you get away with what’s going on at home, your personal feelings. You talk to strangers and take your mind off of things. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met along the 15 years as a flight attendant,” she said Not only were they supportive during her battle with cancer, but also through her niece’s death. The body of 19-year-old Miya Marcano, Westmaas’s niece, was found in 2021 by investigators in the woods after she had been killed in Orlando. It is believed that a maintenance worker was responsible. Westmaas said that her employer helped her through the toughest moments of her life, which made the news of its closure even harder. “They were good. They supported me in every possible way – me and my family. I had ample time off. They never rushed me to get back to work. They supported me on so many different levels. I’ve never seen a company or an airline do that,” she said. Westmaas and other former Spirit Airlines employees are now trying to figure out what they will do next. ...read more read less