Inside the chaotic morning Spirit workers learned they were out of a job: 'Take your uniform off' A Spirit Airlines worker waits for passengers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on March 10. Scott Olson/Getty Images Spirit Airlines ceased operations on Saturday after 34 years. The collapse impacted about 17,000 employees. "This broke a lot of people's hearts," one former Spirit Airlines employee said. Yeneshia Thomas was in her Central Florida home when she got a surprising email at about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday: Spirit Airlines was shutting down . Thomas, 42, first heard the news from her union, but was still in disbelief. The flight attendant still hoped Spirit Airlines executives would secure a $500 million federal bailout. "We were all like, 'Nah. Until the company emails us, we don't believe it,'" Thomas said, referring to her and her colleagues. The bailout negotiations fell apart, and Spirit Airlines announced at 3 a.m.…