Sun Country Airlines is a US-based low cost carrier headquartered in Minneapolis-Saint Paul on the outskirts of Eagan, Minnesota and based at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The airline's main focus is to fly Minnesotans to warmer destinations like Florida and Mexico during the winter. In the summer months, the airline flies passengers between Twin Cities and the east and west coasts of the US. Sun Country also operates flights from Dallas/Fort Worth, which serves as the focal city for the airline. However, the airline recently made a public plan to expand markets other than Minneapolis. It operates scheduled and charter flights to destinations in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Caribbean and ad hoc charter.
Video Sun Country Airlines
Histori
Origins
Sun Country began operations in January 1983 with a single Boeing 727-200 jet aircraft. The airline's original staff consists of sixteen pilots, sixteen flight attendants, three mechanics and one office. A number of original employees previously worked for Braniff International Airways which ceased operations on May 12, 1981. The company's founder and first President/CEO is Captain Jim Olsen, who also acts as Chief Pilot. His wife, Joan Smith-Olsen, acts as Chief Flight Attendant and Head of Inflight Operations. Jim Olsen retired from Sun Country in 2007.
Expansion, new owner and collapse
Slow and deliberate expansion during the 1980s created a steady profit for the company. In 1986 the company began operating the first wide-body aircraft, the 380-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 seats hired from Northwest Airlines competitors in the future. The aircraft's intercontinental spacing allows the company to fly international charters and also accommodate the high demand for popular Minneapolis company routes to Las Vegas that can not be handled by the Boeing 727-200 fleet.
In 1988, its headquarters was located at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
Sun Country also provides an ad-hoc charter lift to civic organizations, corporations, sports teams and almost any other group wishing to rent an airplane. In 1989 Sun Country became a member of the Civil Air Fleet (CRAF) and flew numerous charters to support Desert Storm operations from 1990 to 1991. For their efforts in support of operations, 130 company employees were recognized by the United States. Air Force.
After earning a profit of $ 9.7 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, the airline acquired additional Boeing 727 and DC-10 aircraft. Additional tour operators choose Sun Country as their airline and the emphasis is placed on flights from the Midwest to Las Vegas, Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
In the mid-1990s, Mark Travel Group, led by Bill LaMacchia, Jr., acquired Sun Country and began to change the focus of small niche market airlines. Much of the 1990s was a difficult period for the airline, as the aging and overworked fleet coupled with the demand record stretched the airline to its limit. The new management commenced an aircraft repair program designed to enhance the Sun Country passenger experience. Because DC-10 aircraft were old and in need of expensive maintenance, the airline gradually reduced its fleet, eventually stopping the DC-10 late in early 2001. As the bigger airlines became more sophisticated in managing their seat stocks, the demand for charter tour flights fell. In June 1999, the management of the Sun Country launched a major transformation from airline to scheduled airline. New services from Minneapolis and Milwaukee began destinations across the nation, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, D.C. and Phoenix. The airline also started frequent flyer programs, Smile Awards, which offer free flights to travelers, among other advantages. In 2001, Sun Country began replacing its entire fleet with a new generation Boeing 737 aircraft. When Sun Country reinvented itself, heavy competition from Northwest Airlines local operators and the September 11 attacks caused a sharp drop in traffic and revenue. Contrary to the tradition of financial success and profitability, the airline lost considerable money in the summer of 2001. After struggling to keep operating by cutting flights, destinations and planes, the company closed on December 8, 2001.
New owner, redevelopment, new owner and collapse
During the bankruptcy, Sun Country lost almost all of the 727 fleet and four 737 aircraft that were recently shipped. Sun Country maintains one 737 as well as its operating certificate. In the following months, a group of local investors organized as MN Airlines, LLC purchased the remaining assets in bankruptcy court and restarted the airline.
Emerging from bankruptcy, Sun Country standardizes its fleet on the next-generation Boeing 737 craft jet. The airline initially operated a scheduled-charter service from Minneapolis to a casino in Laughlin, Nevada and gradually added more charter destinations as finance allowed. Soon, new scheduled services were added, focusing on Florida, Mexico and the West Coast.
Sun Country acquired new aircraft in 2004 and 2005 and was profitable in 2004. In honor of the roots and history of the company, in 2004 Sun Country named the new Boeing 737-800 "The Spirit of Braniff." The aircraft is the focus of the 2005 "Mid-Continent Airlines/Braniff International Airways" reunion held on September 24, 2005, at Sun Country Hangar in Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. 350 former Braniff and Mid-Continent employees attended.
Sun Country was one of the first airlines to operate outside the new D terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which officially opened on July 23, 2005.
In July 2006, the airline was acquired by Petters Group Worldwide and Whitebox Advisors. The acquisition was completed on October 31, 2006.
After the replacement of Interim CEO Jay Salmen by Stan Gadek, former AirTran Airways CFO, Sun Country was nearing completion by a major recession of 2008 and a revelation of large scale financial fraud. The airline spawned 45 of its 156 pilots and lowered its summer schedule due to rising fuel costs. Sun Country indicates that it hopes to get a loan of up to $ 50 million or other financial aid from the state of Minnesota and the airport commission. In September 2008, the airline reduced, and in some cases eliminated, flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. It also started charging $ 12 for the first checked bag, following most US carriers. At the end of September 2008, Gadek requested 50% payment for all remaining employees. Also on the 28th, Tom Petters resigned after an FBI investigation found that the airline had suffered financial fraud on a large scale. After this, the airline filed for bankruptcy protection Chapter 11, for the second time, on October 6, 2008, to secede from other Petters companies taken over by a court appointed person. On Christmas Eve, full payment is returned to all employees. Employees are also promised to pay back with interest.
Rebuild and new owner
The company appeared profitable in 2009 with a net profit of nearly $ 1 million. In March, the company has repaid a $ 5 million loan from Elite Landings, a jet merchant company created by Airbus. The airline also started services to Branson, Missouri, and Boston. In 2010, Sun Country generated first quarter earnings of $ 8 million. On June 30, 2010, Sun Country began offering flights to five destinations from the Capital Territory International Airport in Lansing, Michigan. The airline was given a landing slot to start the flight, in April 2011, from Lansing and Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Washington-Reagan National Airport (DCA).
In July 2011, Sun Country Airlines was purchased from a $ 34 million bankruptcy by the Davis family, owner of Cambria, a Minnesota-based table company. Marty Davis, CEO of Cambria, became Chairman of Sun Country Airlines. In 2015, the council employs Zarir Erani as President and CEO of Sun Country.
New owner and CEO
The airline remains profitable, with a net income of $ 27 million by 2015, followed by a 41% decrease to $ 16 million in 2016. In July 2017, after more than a year of missed monthly earnings projections, Chairman Davis replaced Erani as President temporary and CEO, with Erani moving to another task within the Davis corporate family. Jude Bricker, formerly of Allegiant Air, was appointed CEO one week after Erani resigned.
On December 14, 2017, The Davis Brothers announced that it would sell the airline to Apollo Global Management based in New York for an undisclosed amount. The airline will remain headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota and headed by CEO Jude Bricker. The move is in the hope that Apollo's finances will allow airlines to "grow as desired". As part of its strategy, Sun Country is moving toward a "no-frills" airline. This includes a new bundling system called Bundle & amp; Go (described below), reconfig cabins and downsizing of labor and their in-flight offerings.
Packages & amp; Go
Packages & amp; Go is Sun Country's baggage, boarding, and seat system, which charges for most of the luggage.
Maps Sun Country Airlines
Destination
Overview
Sun Country Airlines currently flies to 44 destinations throughout the Caribbean, USA, Mexico and Costa Rica. From this destination, 16 cities are serviced throughout the year. Sun Country started its seasonal service to London Stansted Airport on June 11, 2010, and the service ends in mid-August. Each flight has a stopover in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. This is the airline's first service to Europe, but Sun Country is used to operate charter flights to Europe with its DC-10s. In May 2011 the airline began operating flights to London Gatwick Airport rather than Stansted; the flight maintained its stop at Gander. On January 13, 2012, Sun Country started service to Liberia, Costa Rica. On December 20th, 2012, Sun Country continued service to Tampa, Florida. On December 22, 2012, Sun Country started service to Huatulco, Mexico. On July 1, 2013, Sun Country started service to Chicago Midway, but stopped the MDW in September 2015. Sun Country is now also approved for flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Washington-Reagan National Airport. The Minneapolis-Washington route begins on August 20, 2013, but ends on January 7, 2018. In March 2015, Sun Country began operating scheduled charter flights between Cuba and New York. In August 2017, Sun Country started its seasonal services to Austin and Santa Rosa/Sonoma County. [1]
The airline also provides charter services for the United States Armed Forces.
Top Domestic Market
Interline Agreement
Sun Country maintains an interline agreement with Icelandair, Condor, China Airlines, and Emirates.
Fleet
The Sun Country Airlines fleet consists of the Boeing 737 Next-Generation. Seasonally, additional aircraft were rented between Transavia and Sun Country. During the slow summer, Sun Country occasionally rented a plane to Transavia and during the slow Transavia winter, the airline leased a plane to the Sun Country (May-November is the slow months for Sun Country and peak months for Transavia).
In February 2009, Sun Country hired two ex EasyJet 737-700s and registered it with the N710SY and N711SY. The N710SY registration was originally used for the 737-700 newly delivered to Sun Country in 2001, but the plane never flew a flight of incomes because the airline was closed just days after the plane was delivered. Incidentally, it has now been leased back to Sun Country after being operated by other operators in Europe. It's now listed as N716SY.
Three additional 737-800 NexGen aircraft joined the Sun Country Airlines fleet by 2014. N819SY added to the fleet in June 2014, N808SY entered service in July 2014 and N820SY began operations in November. The N820SY is equipped with state-of-the art scimitar winglets that offer superior fuel savings when compared to previous model winglets.
Starting in November 2018, Sun Country will retrofit its entire fleet. In a $ 20 million investment (largest in airline history), they will flood their planes and install new interiors. The new interior will eliminate the First Class and will feature three seat options; premium with a 34 inch pitch, a 32-inch pitch section, and a 30 or 29 inch pitch section. This will increase the number of seats at 738-800 to 183. However, the move does not involve all ULCC properties. The airline says they will continue to offer free beverage services, but also add USB power in free seats and add free personal entertainment to your personal device. The plan also asked for additional aircraft hired to bring a total of 30 aircraft to their fleet. Also, the new livery will be chosen by employees to be added to the new aircraft by 2018 and slowly added to the current fleet as the aircraft gets their regular schedule painting.
Current fleet
Retired Fleet
Incident
On the weekend of April 14-15, 2018, an April snowstorm "hit" the Sun Country at its main Hub in Minneapolis. The airline was forced to cancel 40 flights at MSP. Flights from Mazatlan and Los Cabos Mexico were among the canceled flights due to the weather. However, due to the fact that flights from MZT and SJD are the last of the season for Sun Country, airlines say that passengers will get a full refund for their trip but they will need to find their own way home. This led to a public relations nightmare for airlines, prompting Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith to summon DOT to investigate. Later, President and CEO Jude Bricker released a statement saying that "clearly, forward, we need to improve our ability to handle the stresses to our system like what we experienced." He also inserts that every passenger in MZT and SJD will be contacted by a dedicated team and they will all receive a "refund of their original space shuttle ticket at Sun Country (which we have accelerated above all other refunds), we will also includes a reasonable addition to the transportation costs they incur over their original Sun Country round trip costs. "
Frequent flyer program
In 2004 Sun Country started a new travelers program, "Sun Country VIP Club." In addition to VIP-only tickets, members receive discounts and priority rides, security and checks in Minneapolis and other cities. The VIP Club gives access to exclusive benefits, such as special hotel rates, which are only available to paying members.
In July 2007, Sun Country launched a more traditional frequent flyer program called "Ufly," which offers 5 points for each one-way coach or 7 points for each one-way flight. Once 100 points are obtained, the leaflet qualifies for one free ticket without any restrictions.
After the launch of the Ufly Prize, Sun Country VIP Club was renamed "Ufly Rewards Plus." The same benefits remain and members now earn points for their travel. On October 20, 2011, Sun Country ended the Ufly Rewards Plus program.
Today, Sun Country allows many members to collect their points towards the flight.
Sun Country Vacations
On December 9, 2009, Sun Country Airlines introduced Sun Country Vacations, a new program that allows customers to book hotels, flights, and more in a single transaction.
Sun Country Holiday Packages are offered to destinations including Cancun, Cozumel, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Cabo San Lucas, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan, Orlando, New York, Palm Springs, Phoenix, San Diego, West Palm Beach, Seattle, Las Vegas, Tampa, Fort Myers, Harlingen, Miami, Punta Cana, Montego Bay, Anchorage, Washington DC and Boston. Plans to expand the program in the future include excursion packages and attraction packages.
References
External links
Media related to Sun Country Airlines on Wikimedia Commons
- [2] Braniff Flying Color - Braniff's History Page
- Sun Country Airlines
- Holiday Country of the Sun
- Sun Country Airlines Route Map
- Sun Country Airlines Fleet
- Braniff Airways and Sun Country history
- Flight Incident
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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