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The company’s collapse started the clock on a mission to collect dozens of planes and deposit them in Arizona boneyards. on.wsj.com/4wrfu3G

Spirit’s collapse left dozens of bright yellow jets scattered around the country.
Picking them up is the job of repo men with a special set of skills.
The company’s collapse started the clock on a mission to collect dozens of planes and deposit them in Arizona boneyards.
on.wsj.com
6:05 AM · May 11, 2026

The World’s Highest-Flying Repo Men Are Collecting Spirit Airlines’ Jets

Company’s collapse started the clock on a mission to retrieve dozens of planes and deposit them in Arizona boneyards; ‘Can I fly in shorts?’

By Alison Sider
May 11, 2026 5:30 am ET


“You can’t just hop fences and take airplanes,’ said Steve Giordano. ‘It’s not like they do on TV.’ Steve Giordano

The first call came to Bob Allen’s phone at 6 p.m. ET on a Friday. The message: Get the repo men ready.

Spirit Airlines was still in operation and planes were in the air. But the aircraft leasing firms that own dozens of its bright yellow jets were getting anxious as Spirit barreled toward liquidation. They wanted their planes back.

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