Google has agreed to buy the database of bankrupt US airline Spirit Airlines for $10 million. The company's data will reportedly be used to improve Google's products and artificial intelligence models.
Spirit Airlines stopped all flights in May and has since been selling off its assets as part of its bankruptcy process. The sale includes the company's database, along with aircraft and equipment.
According to court documents, the data Google obtained includes the company's emails and internal communications, schedules, booking and transaction data, loyalty program data, as well as human resources data related to employees.
Google said that personally identifiable information has been removed from the purchased data set and that the company will not receive any personal information.
A Google spokesperson told CNN that the company has acquired part of a large corporate data set from Spirit Airlines that can help improve its products and AI models.
Airlines have been increasingly using artificial intelligence in recent years to help them price flights and plan their schedules more efficiently.
The second-highest bidder, according to Spirit Airlines, was Mercor.io. The company offered $7.5 million for its database.
A final decision on the sale is expected to be made by Judge Sean Lane in bankruptcy court on Wednesday.
The sale is also unusual in terms of airline bankruptcy. Typically, bankrupt airlines are bought out in their entirety by another airline and their data is integrated into the new company's systems. Spirit Airlines was the first major U.S. airline to be forced to close completely in 25 years.
