Sun Country Is Cutting Hundreds of Flights From Minnesota

If you booked a flight out of Minnesota on Sun Country Airlines this September, you might want to recheck your booking, as the airline announced it will cut nearly 350 flights from the Land of 10,000 Lakes next month.

While we hear a lot about Delta Air Lines, Sun Country is (or was) truly Minnesota's own airline. We sometimes claim Delta Air Lines as a Minnesota airline, seeing its hub at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is the second-largest in the country. But when it comes to airlines actually headquartered here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, that award would have to go to Sun Country Airlines. Or would have, before its merger with Allegiant Airlines, that is.

Sun Country Airlines Is Making Big Changes at MSP

Sun Country has been a household name here in the North Star State for quite a while. Industry site Simple Flying notes that Sun Country was founded 44 years ago, back in 1982, and started offering flights the next year, in 1983. Many of those first flights were from the Twin Cities to Las Vegas, before Vegas was the huge tourist mecca it is today.

ALSO INTERESTING: Delta Air Lines Quietly Ended an Era at MSP Earlier This Year

Sun Country made news back in January when it announced it was merging with Allegiant Air out of Las Vegas. I wrote a story then that said that while the two airlines will initially continue to operate separately, down the road, it's possible that the Sun Country brand will cease to exist at all.

Sun Country Cuts Nearly 350 Flights From MSP in September

That merger closed back in May, and since then, Sun Country has been cutting flights from MSP. In fact, according to travel site Deep Arrival, Sun Country cut around 348 departures from MSP in September, roughly a third of its flights leaving Bold North.

Get our free mobile app

This Airline Geeks story quoted an internal Sun Country memo that said those cuts were likely due to what it calls 'higher-than-expected front-line crew attrition combined with increased cargo flying,' the story said. The good news, though, is that those cuts appear to be concentrated in September. Airline Geeks reported that Sun Country's routes for October and November appear 'largely unchanged.'

What Sun Country Passengers Should Do Before Their September Flight

But what should you do if you booked a trip on Sun Country out of MSP for September? Deep Arrival has some suggestions:

If you already hold a September Sun Country ticket from MSP, open the reservation and confirm the flight number, aircraft time, and any rebooking link. Do not wait for a gate-day surprise if the schedule has already been rebuilt.

If you're still thinking of travelling on Sun Country in September but haven't booked a trip yet, Deep Arrival says to compare Sun Country against Delta and Spirit Airlines, along with other low-cost options for the same dates.