Sun Country Airlines

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Sun Country Airlines is an ultra low-cost airline in the United States. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Country flies to around 140 destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The airline also runs significant charter operations and operates cargo for Amazon Air.[1]

History

File:Sun Country Airlines Logo 1998.svg
One version of Sun Country's early logo used from 1996–2001.
File:12ce - Sun Country Airlines DC-10-15; N153SY@MIA;31.01.1998 (5198220700).jpg
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 at Miami in 1998

Early years and bankruptcies (1983–2008)

Sun Country was incorporated on July 2, 1982[2] and received its certificate of public necessity and convenience from the Civil Aeronautics Board on January 17, 1983.[3] The airline began offering charter service and the first revenue flight took place on January 20, 1983, from Sioux Falls to Las Vegas, using a Boeing 727 aircraft leased from Air Florida.[4][5] The airline's original staff consisted of 16 pilots, 16 flight attendants, three mechanics, and one office person. Several of the original employees previously worked for Braniff International Airways, which ceased operations on May 12, 1982.[6] The company's founder and first President/CEO was Captain Jim Olsen, who also acted as Chief Pilot. His wife, Joan Smith-Olsen, acted as Chief Flight Attendant and Head of Inflight Operations.[7]

In 1988, its headquarters were located on the grounds of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.[8] In 1995, Sun Country began offering scheduled flights from Minneapolis to several major cities. In 2001, the company suspended operations due to financial troubles.[9] In 2006, the airline was acquired by Petters Group Worldwide and Whitebox Advisors.[10]

Following the replacement of interim CEO Jay Salmen by Stan Gadek, former CFO of AirTran Airways, Sun Country nearly went out of business by the Great Recession of 2008 and the revelation that Petters Group Worldwide was operating a $3.25 billion Ponzi scheme.[11][12] The airline furloughed 45 of its 156 pilots and scaled back its summer schedule due to rising fuel costs.[13] In September 2008 the carrier reduced or eliminated flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It also began charging for passengers' first checked bag.[14] At the end of September, Gadek called for a 50% pay deferral to all remaining employees.[11] Tom Petters resigned after an FBI probe discovered that the airline had suffered financial fraud on a massive scale.[15] The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time on October 6, 2008.[16]

Rebuilding and Davis brothers ownership (2011–2017)

File:Sun Country 737 Denver.jpg
Boeing 737 in the 2001–2016 livery at Denver

In July 2011, Sun Country was bought out of bankruptcy for $34 million by the Davis family, owners of Cambria, a Minnesota-based countertop company.[17][18] Cambria CEO Marty Davis became chairman.

In 2015, the Sun Country board hired Zarir Erani as president and CEO.[19] The airline had a net income of $27 million in 2015, followed by a 41% drop to $16 million in 2016.[19]

In July 2017, after more than a year of missed monthly earnings projections, Davis replaced Erani as interim President and CEO.[19] Jude Bricker, previously of Allegiant Air, was appointed as CEO one week after Erani stepped down.[20] As part of its strategy, Sun Country began to move toward being a "no-frills" airline.[21]

Apollo Global Management ownership (2017–2025)

File:Sun Country Airlines 737-800 N827SY IND.jpg
A Boeing 737-800 in the 2016–2018 livery at the Indianapolis International Airport

On December 14, 2017, the Davis brothers announced they would sell the airline to funds affiliated with the New York City-based Apollo Global Management for an undisclosed amount.[22]

On December 17, 2019, Amazon Air bought a minority stake in Sun Country from Apollo, and announced plans for the airline to operate cargo flights under the Amazon Air brand.[1] Sun Country initially operated ten cargo jets for Amazon Air,[23] operating its first cargo flight for Amazon in May 2020.[24][25]

On March 17, 2021, Sun Country became publicly listed and traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SNCY.[26]

As of June 2024, Sun Country's cargo fleet operated under contract with Amazon Air had grown to 12 airframes. On June 20, 2024, Sun Country and Amazon Air announced an extension of their contract to 2030. Under this new contract, Amazon Air will transfer an additional eight 737-800BCF aircraft to Sun Country, increasing the airline's cargo fleet to 20 airframes.[27]

In February 2025, Apollo Global sold its remaining shares of the airline in a secondary public offering transaction.[28]

Corporate affairs

Business trends

Recent key figures for Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Inc. (which include the passenger operations of Sun Country Airlines and its cargo business for Amazon Air) are (years ending December 31): Template:Sticky-header

Year Revenue
(in million US$) 		Net income
(in million US$) 		Employees
(Template:Colored link) 		Passengers
(in millions) 		Load factor
(%) 		Aircraft Notes/
references
2009 202 1 [29]
2010 239 11 70 [29][30]
2011 308 4 [29]
2012 361 15 [29]
2013 410 2 [29]
2014 2 1,312 1.6 72.6 19 [31][32][29]
2015 27 1.9 80.2 [19][31][32]
2016 518 16 1.8 78.5 [19][31][33][34]
2017 560 28 1,889 2.5 80.4 26 [35]
2018 197 25.9 1,549 2.6 82.4 30 Template:Efn[35]
385 <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />−0.4
2019 701 46 1,532 3.6 82.5 31 [35]
2020 401 <templatestyles src="Template:Color/styles.css" />−3.9 1,699 1.7 64.9 43 Template:Efn[35]
2021 623 81.2 2,181 2.7 74.7 48 [36]
2022 894 17.7 2,510 3.6 83.5 54 [36]
2023 1,050 72.2 2,783 4.1 86.3 42 [37]
2024 1,076 52.9 3,141 4.5 84.2 45 [37]
Template:Notelist

Services

Sun Country previously offered two classes of service with First Class and Economy seats, but when the airline was sold to Apollo Global Management, it became an ultra low-cost carrier with aircraft operated in an all-economy configuration. Sun Country now offers three variations of economy seats: Best, Exit Row, and Standard.[38][39]

Sun Country Rewards, the airline's frequent-flyer program, was established in 2018, replacing an older program called Ufly.[40] In 2023, Sun Country was named the best low-cost carrier in North America at the Paris Airshow's World Airline Rankings.[41]

Destinations

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". since January 2024Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Sun Country Airlines flies to 81 destinations and operates more than 100 routes throughout the Caribbean, United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America.[42][43] Many Sun Country destinations are seasonally served as demand grows and falls throughout the year.

The airline additionally provides charter service for the United States Armed Forces[44] and NCAA football teams.[45] The airline has provided charter service to Major League Soccer teams since 2020 and became the league's official carrier in 2022.[46] Sun Country has a number of casino charter contracts.

Top domestic markets (August 2024 – July 2025)[47]
Rank Airport Passengers Market share (%)
1 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 1,874,450 11.71%
2 Orlando, Florida 160,090 0.68%
3 Fort Myers, Florida 159,230 3.04%
4 Phoenix, Arizona 157,350 0.63%
5 Las Vegas, Nevada 147,500 0.58%
Other markets 1,364,620 0.15%

Interline agreements

Sun Country also has interline agreements with the following airlines:[48]

Fleet

Current fleet

File:Sun Country Airlines B737-800.jpg
Boeing 737-800 wearing the newest livery
File:Amazon Prime Air (Sun Country Airlines) Boeing 737-84P(BCF) N7901A approaching JFK Airport.jpg
Boeing 737-800BCF operated for Amazon Air, with Sun Country titles behind the cockpit windows

since October 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Sun Country Airlines operates an all-Boeing fleet composed of the following aircraft::[49]

Sun Country Airlines fleet[50]
Aircraft In service On order Passengers Notes
F Y+ Y Total
Passenger fleet
Boeing 737-800 43 — — 30 156 186
1 — 68 — — 68 VIP charter configuration.
Boeing 737-900ER 2 3 — 30 159 189 To enter service through 2026.
Script error: No such module "anchor".Cargo fleet
Boeing 737-800BCF 20 — Cargo Aircraft operated for Amazon Air.[51]
Total 66 3

Historical fleet

Sun Country Airlines historical fleet[52]
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 727-200 42 1983 2002
Boeing 737-700 9 2008 2023
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 6 1993 1998
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-15 4 1994 2001
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F 2 1995 1997 Leased from Gemini Air Cargo.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 1 1986 1991 Transferred to Northwest Airlines.

See also

References

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  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 26, 1988. 117.
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ The Sun Country Airlines Baggage Rules, Retrieved August 13, 2021
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Sun Country Airlines | Destinations, suncountry.com
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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