Spirit Airlines Teams up With AvGeeks for Puerto Rico Relief

People don't always have the nicest things to say about Spirit Airlines, but TPG enjoyed his recent flight and the airline really deserves credit for its tremendous relief work this month.

Chris Sloan of Airways Magazine — a friend of the site — teamed up with AvGeeks and Spirit Airlines to deliver relief aid to Puerto Rico, and to assist our fellow US citizens in desperate need of evacuation. They've now been at it for more than two weeks — you can follow the group's progress on this Facebook page.

The group put together this incredible video documenting their efforts, and the needs of our Puerto Rican neighbors. It's absolutely worth five minutes of your time, but be warned — this is definitely a tearjerker. I was a mess three minutes in.

https://vimeo.com/237150610

There's still plenty of work to do and I wouldn't be surprised to see relief efforts like this continue for months, given that many Puerto Ricans will be without electricity and even running water for some time to come. Fortunately, you can make a tremendous difference of your own without leaving home.

From a group update today:

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We just crossed $150,000 in cash donations plus over $40,000 in supplies! Thank You to all who have donated! And if you haven't, there's still time. This weekend marks our final push for donations and packing Care Packages of food, hygiene products, tarps, and flashlights. $58 feeds a family of five for a week. And we need all the money we can get for water which is in very short supply in our region. We are flying at least 20,000 pounds to Puerto Rico each week and is delivered straight into mouths and hands of those indeed. [sic]

They're still about $45,000 shy of their $200,000 goal, but you can help close the gap by donating here.

I was blown away by the efforts of JetBlue, United Airlines and others in Puerto Rico — much of which I was able to witness first hand in San Juan last week. Operation Puerto Rico Care-Lift is one of the most generous efforts to date — I'm so proud of all of our colleagues involved.

In addition to this campaign, I encourage you to click here to donate to our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico who need our help.

For more on relief efforts in Puerto Rico, see:

• Inside JetBlue's Incredible 'Makeshift Costco' in Puerto Rico
• My Experience Flying Through San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Inside a United 777 Relief Flight Carrying 51,000 Pounds of Donations