Background
Micro1 Inc., an artificial intelligence data firm incorporated in Delaware, filed a competing purchase offer of $12.5 million for the business records of Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc., according to a notice submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday. The bid seeks to supersede a previously approved $10 million purchase by Google LLC that was selected at an August 14, 2026 auction.
Contents of the Data Package
The records up for sale comprise a substantial volume of internal and customer communications produced prior to the Florida-based budget carrier's shutdown in May. Specifically, the package includes 500 million Microsoft Teams items, 100 million emails and roughly 16 million customer chat sessions, along with operational data and other internal information.
Terms and Competitive Positioning
Micro1's $12.5 million offer represents a 25% premium over Google's $10 million bid and is presented without a financing contingency. The offer also does not require board or investment-committee consent and includes proof of funds to be provided concurrent with execution. The company disclosed that it operates a human-data and intelligence platform used for AI training and that it has completed more than 50 data transactions in the last 45 days.
Legal Process and Parties
At the August auction, Google was named the successful bidder and Mercor.io Corporation was listed as the alternate bidder at $7.5 million. The competing bid from micro1 was filed in the context of Spirit's Chapter 11 liquidation, for which the court entered bidding procedures on June 22, 2026. A sale hearing has been scheduled for September 9, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
Objections and Protections
Micro1's competing offer is aimed at addressing objections that have been filed by several parties, including the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO; the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; the Transport Workers Union of America Local 570; and Springshot Inc. To that end, micro1 committed to several protections: excluding sensitive employment content from the sale, prohibiting re-association and profiling of employee data, restricting onward transfers, and limiting use of the data to AI training applications.
Additionally, micro1 said it will absorb all costs related to deidentification without reducing the purchase price. The company also offered former Spirit employees complimentary access to its AI training curriculum.
What Happens Next
The competing bid and the objections it seeks to resolve will be addressed at the court hearing on September 9, 2026. The final disposition of the data sale will depend on the court's proceedings under the established bidding procedures for Spirit's Chapter 11 liquidation.