Mixing
Sun Country Airlines
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| Founded | June 1982 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | January 1983 | ||||||
| Hubs |
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| Focus cities |
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| Frequent-flyer program | Sun Country Rewards | ||||||
| Fleet size | 29 | ||||||
| Destinations | 53 | ||||||
| Company slogan | The Hometown Airline | ||||||
| Parent company | Apollo Global Management | ||||||
| Headquarters | Eagan, Minnesota, US | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Revenue |  US$ 589 million (2017) | ||||||
| Operating income | US$ 29 million (2017) | ||||||
| Net income | US$ 28 million (2017) | ||||||
| Employees | About 1,800 | ||||||
| Website | suncountry.com | ||||||
Sun Country Airlines is a United States-based low-cost airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota[1] and based at nearby Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The airline operates 86 routes, mostly between destinations in the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Origins
1.2 Expansion, new owner and collapse
1.3 New owner, rebuilding, new owner and new collapse
1.4 Rebuilding and new owners
1.5 Transition to a low-cost carrier
2 Destinations
2.1 Overview
2.2 Top domestic markets
2.3 Interline agreements
3 Fleet
3.1 Current fleet
3.2 Retired fleet
4 Criticism
5 Frequent flyer programs
6 References
7 External links
History
A Sun Country DC-10 at Las Vegas International Airport in 1992
A Sun Country Boeing 727-200 in 1994
Origins
Sun Country began flight operations in January 1983 with a single Boeing 727-200 jetliner.[2] The airline's original staff consisted of sixteen pilots, sixteen flight attendants, three mechanics and one office person. A number of the original employees had previously worked for Braniff International Airways which ceased operations on May 12, 1981.[3] 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. Olsen retired from Sun Country in 2007.[4]
Expansion, new owner and collapse
In 1986 the company placed into service its first wide-body aircraft, a 380-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 leased from future competitor Northwest Airlines. The aircraft's intercontinental range enabled the company to fly international charters and also accommodate high demand on the company's popular Minneapolis to Las Vegas route that the Boeing 727-200 fleet could not handle.[citation needed]
In 1988, its headquarters were located on the grounds of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.[5]
Sun Country also provided ad-hoc charter lift. In 1989 Sun Country became a member of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and flew many charters to support the Desert Storm operation from 1990 to 1991.[citation needed]
After earning profits of $9.7 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991,[citation needed] the airline acquired additional Boeing 727 and DC-10 aircraft.
In the mid 1990s, Mark Travel Group, led by Bill LaMacchia, Jr., acquired Sun Country and began changing the focus of the airline.[citation needed] As the DC-10 aircraft aged and required expensive maintenance, the airline gradually reduced the fleet, ultimately retiring the final DC-10 in early 2001.[citation needed] In June 1999, the management of Sun Country launched a transformation from a charter carrier into a scheduled airline. New service from Minneapolis and Milwaukee began to destinations including Los Angeles, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C. and Phoenix.[citation needed] The airline also started a frequent flyer program, Smile Awards. In 2001, Sun Country began to replace its entire fleet with Boeing 737 aircraft. As Sun Country reinvented itself, heavy competition from local incumbent carrier Northwest Airlines and the September 11 attacks caused a sharp decrease of traffic and revenue. The airline was losing large amounts of money by the summer of 2001. After fighting to stay operational by cutting flights, destinations and planes, the company closed on December 8, 2001.[6]
New owner, rebuilding, new owner and new collapse
A Sun Country Boeing 737-800 in March 2004.
During bankruptcy, Sun Country lost almost all of its 727 fleet and four recently delivered 737 aircraft. Sun Country retained one 737 as well as its operating certificate. In the following months, a local group of investors organized as MN Airlines, LLC purchased the remaining assets in bankruptcy court and restarted the airline.[citation needed] The airline initially operated combined charter-scheduled services from Minneapolis to casinos in Laughlin, Nevada and gradually added more charter destinations as finances allowed.
Sun Country acquired new aircraft in 2004 and 2005 and was profitable in 2004.[citation needed] In July 2006, the airline was acquired by Petters Group Worldwide and Whitebox Advisors. The acquisition was complete on October 31, 2006.[7]
Following the replacement of interim CEO Jay Salmen by Stan Gadek, former CFO of AirTran Airways, Sun Country was nearly finished by the major recession of 2008 and the revelation of financial fraud on a massive scale.[8] The airline furloughed 45 of its 156 pilots and scaled back its summer schedule due to rising fuel costs. Sun Country indicated it had hoped to get up to $50 million in loans or other financial help from the state of Minnesota and the airports commission.[9] In September 2008 the carrier reduced, and in some cases eliminated, flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It also began charging for the first checked bag.[10] At the end of September 2008, Gadek called for a 50% pay-deferral to all remaining employees. Tom Petters resigned after an FBI probe discovered that the airline had suffered financial fraud on a massive scale.[8][11] Following this, the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time, on October 6, 2008.[12] On Christmas Eve, full pay was restored to all employees. Employees were also promised back-pay with interest.[citation needed]
Rebuilding and new owners
In July 2011, Sun Country Airlines was purchased out of bankruptcy for $34 million by the Davis family, owners of Cambria, a Minnesota-based countertop company.[13][14] Marty Davis, CEO of Cambria, became Chairman of Sun Country Airlines. In 2015, the board hired Zarir Erani as President and CEO of Sun Country.[15]
Transition to a low-cost carrier
The airline had a net income of $27 million in 2015, followed by a 41% drop to $16 million in 2016.[15] In July 2017, after more than a year of missed monthly earnings projections, Davis replaced Erani as interim President and CEO, with Erani moving to other duties within the Davis family of companies.[15] Jude Bricker, previously of Allegiant Air, was appointed as CEO one week after Erani stepped down.[16]
On December 14, 2017, the Davis brothers announced they would be selling the airline to New York Based Apollo Global Management for an undisclosed amount. As part of its strategy Sun Country moved towards being a "no frills" airline. [17]
Destinations
Overview
Sun Country destinations (October 2018)
As of October 2018, Sun Country Airlines flies to 47 destinations throughout the Caribbean, United States, Mexico and Central America.[18] Many Sun Country destinations are seasonally served as demand grows and falls throughout the year. Sun Country began seasonal service to London Stansted Airport on June 11, 2010, and service ended in mid-August. It was the airline's first scheduled service to Europe, but Sun Country used to operate charter flights to Europe with its DC-10s.[19] In May 2011, the airline began operating flights to London Gatwick Airport instead of Stansted. London service was entirely dropped the same year.[20] In March 2015, Sun Country started operating scheduled charter flights between Cuba and New York.[21] In 2018, Sun Country started service to Honolulu, Myrtle Beach, Santa Barbara, Nashville, Madison, St. Louis, Belize and St. Kitts. [22] The airline additionally provides charter service for the United States Armed Forces.[23]
Top domestic markets
| Rank | Airport | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis-St Paul (Headquarters) | 961,660 |
| 2 | Las Vegas | 136,770 |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 107,990 |
| 4 | New York (JFK) | 99,180 |
| 5 | Orlando | 94,830 |
| 6 | Other | 576,630 |
Interline agreements
Sun Country maintains interline agreements with Icelandair, Condor,[25]China Airlines as well as Emirates.[26]
Fleet
Sun Country Boeing 737-800 wearing the newest livery
Sun Country Boeing 737-800 on seasonal lease from Transavia wearing Transavia livery with Sun Country titles
The Sun Country Airlines fleet consists of Boeing 737 Next-Generation airplanes. Seasonally, additional aircraft are leased between Transavia and Sun Country. During its slow summer season, Sun Country occasionally leases planes to Transavia and during Transavia's slow winter season, the airline leases planes to Sun Country.[27]
Current fleet
| Aircraft | In Service | On Order | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | Y | Total | |||||
Boeing 737-700 | 4 | — | 12 | 114 | 126 | To be phased out and replaced with 737-800[29] | |
| 117 | 129 | ||||||
Boeing 737-800 | 26 | __ | 12 | 156 | 168 | Transitioning to an all coach configuration, to be completed by February 2019[30] | |
| — | 183 | 183 | |||||
| Total | 30 | 0 | |||||
Retired fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-200 | 36 | 1982 | 2001 |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 series | 13 | 1986 | 2001 |
Criticism
On the weekend of April 14-15, 2018, an April blizzard led the airline to cancel 40 flights at MSP, including incoming flights from Mazatlan and Los Cabos in Mexico. Since the flights from Mazatlan and Los Cabos were the last of the season for Sun Country, the airline said that passengers would get a full refund for their trip but they would need find their own way home. This caused a public relations disaster for the airline, prompting Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith to call on the DOT to investigate.[32]
Frequent flyer programs
Sun Country ran its first frequent flyer program, Sun Country VIP Club, from 2004 to July 2007, when it was replaced by Ufly.[citation needed] However, Ufly was terminated in October 2011 and replaced after a break by Sun Country Rewards from November 2018.[33]
References
^ "Contact Us". Sun Country Airlines. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. Retrieved 3 January 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ https://www.airportspotting.com/sun-country-airlines/
^ https://www.suncountry.com, About Sun Country
^ "Sun County Airlines". Braniff Pages. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 26, 1988. 117.
^ "The Braniff/Sun Country Connection". The Braniff Family. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
^ "Petters Group Worldwide and Whitebox Advisors Acquire Sun Country Airlines" (Press release). Sun Country Airlines. October 31, 2006. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
^ ab Fedor, Liz (28 September 2008). "Sept. 29: Sun Country workers face temporary 50% pay cut". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
^ Muehlhausen, Nicole (August 6, 2008). "Sun Country asks MAC to help keep company flying". KAAL. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
^ "Sun Country trims flights, and fares push higher". Retrieved April 28, 2013.
^ Dunbar, Elizabeth (September 30, 2008). "Petters resigns amid fraud investigation". International Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
^ Fedor, Liz (October 6, 2008). "Sun Country Airlines files for bankruptcy". Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
^ David Phelps (July 21, 2011). "Cambria deal gives new life to Sun Country". StarTribune. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
^ "Cambria Holdings paid $34 million for Sun Country Airlines". The Mankato Free Press. August 3, 2011. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
^ abc Painter, Kristen Leigh (2017-07-06). "Sun Country Airlines CEO Ousted; owner Davis steps in as he seeks successor for Erani". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
^ Painter, Kristen (10 July 2017). "Sun Country names Jude Bricker as new CEO". Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
^ https://airlinegeeks.com/2017/12/16/sun-country-airlines-sold-to-investment-giant-apollo-global-management/
^ Sun Country Airlines | Destinations, suncountry.com
^ Carey, Susan (16 March 2010). "Discount Carrier Plans Minneapolis-London Flights". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
^ Finance.yahoo.com[permanent dead link]
^ ABC News. "U.S. News - National News". ABC News. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
^ "Sun Country News | Sun Country Airlines". www.suncountry.com. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
^ "Sun Country Airlines – Company History". Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
^ https://www.transtats.bts.gov/carriers.asp?Carrier=SY&Carrier_Name=Sun%20Country%20Airlines%20d/b/a%20Mn%20Airlines
^ Condor: Announces Interline Agreement With Sun Country Airlines®
^ EK Baggage Allowances and Rules for Interline Partners
^ "https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2018/04/17/as-travelers-left-stranded-where-were-sun-countrys.html". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-10-20. External link in|title=(help)
^ "Sun Country Airlines Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
^ "Sun Country moves to an all-B737-800 fleet in low-cost pivot". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
^ https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2018/12/11/sun-country-shows-off-new-boeing-737-800-with-new.html
^ "AeroTransport Data Bank". aerotransport.org. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
^ "2018-04-17 Press Release | Sun Country Airlines Operations update". www.suncountry.com. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
^ "Sun Country is Overhauling its Rewards Program: What You Need to Know". Thrifty Traveler. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
External links
Media related to Sun Country Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
- Sun Country Airlines
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