Sun Country announces 18 nonstop routes, including 9 new destinations
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Sun Country is the latest carrier to shake up its route map during the pandemic.
The Minnesota-based leisure carrier announced 18 routes on Tuesday, part of an expansion that will add nine new cities to its network.
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free new biweekly Aviation newsletter!
Those new Sun Country cities are:
- Duluth, Minnesota (DLH)
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (GCM)
- Green Bay, Wisconsin (GRB)
- Mesa-Phoenix (AZA)
- Milwaukee (MKE)
- Punta Gorda, Florida (PGD)
- Rochester., Minnesota (RST)
- St. Petersburg. Florida (PIE)
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS)
Interestingly, that pushes Sun Country into the secondary airports of several markets it already serves.
The carrier’s new service to Mesa-Phoenix, for example, comes on top of its existing service to the region’s primary airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).
Air travel resurgence: Airlines are on the verge of finally making money again
It’s a similar story in Florida, where Sun Country’s flights to Punta Gorda will complement its service from Fort Myers (RSW) – which is only about 35 miles away. And new flights to St. Petersburg will be in addition to Sun County’s schedule from two other nearby airports: Tampa (TPA) and Sarasota (SRQ).
At all three of those secondary airports, Sun Country will try to establish a toehold at airports dominant by rival budget carrier Allegiant.
Overall, Sun Country’s expansion focuses on airports in the upper Midwest, including its main base in Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP). MSP landed seven nonstop routes, a number that includes one seasonal route (Bozeman, Montana) that had been scheduled to end but now will be extended later into the season. Milwaukee, one of Sun Country’s new cities, also fared well with five nonstop routes.
Sun Country’s route update comes as a slow-but-steady uptick in air travel that’s been led by leisure flyers.
Connect by … bus?!? Report from Sun Country’s first Landline bus connection
“With more and more people excited to resume traveling, we’re thrilled to be able to offer them the opportunity to visit these incredible vacation destinations this winter,” Grant Whitney, Sun Country’s chief revenue officer, said in a statement.
A full list of Sun County’s new routes is below. All are seasonal except for the Milwaukee-MSP and Milwaukee-Las Vegas routes.
New routes from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
- Bozeman, Montana (BZN): Begins Dec. 16, when previous seasonal service was set to end (two weekly flights)
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (GCM): Begins Dec. 18 (Saturday-only service)
- Mesa-Phoenix (AZA): Begins Nov. 24 (four weekly flights)
- Milwaukee (MKE): Begins Aug. 26 (two weekly flights)
- St. Petersburg, Florida (PIE): Begins Nov. 25 (four weekly flights)
- Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS): Begins Dec. 18 (Saturday-only service)
- Punta Gorda, Florida (PGD): Begins Dec. 10 (two weekly flights)
New routes from Milwaukee (MKE)
- Cancun, Mexico: (CUN): Begins Dec; 18 (Saturday-only service)
- Fort Myers, Florida (RSW): Begins Dec. 15 (two weekly flights)
- Las Vegas (LAS): Begins Aug. 26 (two weekly flights)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP): Begins Aug. 26 (two weekly flights)
- Phoenix (PHX): Begins Dec. 16 (two weekly flights)
Another low-cost competitor? David Neeleman’s new airline, Breeze, just cleared a major hurdle
New routes from Duluth, Minnesota (DLH)
- Fort Myers, Florida (RSW): Begins Dec. 17 (two weekly flights)
- Phoenix (PHX): Begins Dec. 17 (two weekly flights)
New routes from Green Bay, Wisconsin (GRB)
- Fort Myers, Florida (RSW): Begins Dec. 16 (two weekly flights)
- Phoenix (PHX): Begins Dec. 17 (two weekly flights)
New routes from Rochester, Minnesota (RST)
- Fort Myers, Florida (RSW): Begins Feb. 3 (two weekly flights)
- Phoenix (PHX): Begins Feb. 4 (two weekly flights)
New route from Madison, Wisconsin (MSN)
- Phoenix (PHX): Begins Dec. 16 (two weekly flights)
Featured photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants in the first three months of card membership.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
- Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.