Other North & South America Frequent Flyer Programs - Opinions on Sun Country?

Anyone out there with experience on Sun Country? I have gotten fed up with the high Delta prices out of MSP and see that Sun Country offers flights to many of the destinations I normally go to.

I had a nice round trip to SAN a couple of months ago and I am headed off to LAX tomorrow. My main concern is the limited number of flights.

I did find it amusing that the flight in SAN was handled by a Delta GA's.

Cheers,
Pogopossum

Sun Country is fine if you can live with their limited schedules and fluctuating destinations. I haven't experienced irregular operations with them, but since virtually all traffic is local to/from MSP, missed connections are rarely an issue.

Customers tend to be ocasional leisure travelers, so you'll find boarding speed is a little slow, and folks may bring oversize carry ons more often than on other airlines.

Security at MSP Terminal 2 is efficient but can be tricky as there's only one access (as opposed to Terminal 1 with a few checkpoints). Also know that multiple SY flights depart around the same time, 7ish AM and 2ish PM, so there's a peak of people passing security at SY departure times. Arrive 45-60 min before departure and you will be fine.

I found their 30 min checkin time cutoff is extremely strict and unforgiving, despite their limited schedules. Result is folks arriving 29 min before departure having no option but to rebook for 24-48 hours later. In out stations, SY staff leave the counter 30 min prior to work the flight, leaving no possibility to rebook until the plane departs.

As I recall (from like 2 years ago), the ground staff at HRL, RSW, IAD, JFK, BOS, PHX, and SAN is contract from another carrier. MSP, LAS, MCO, LAX, SFO and DFW have SY staff, or at least one SY employee, plus generic contract staff (like Swissport). Signage at out stations was very clearly marked and it wasn't hard to find the counter handling SY.

The frequent flyer program isn't dynamic, and rewards are only good as round trips on nonstop routes (read: to/from MSP). Earning rewards requires a _lot_ of travel on SY, and given their limited flights, it can take a while.
A huge benefit of the awards, however, is that there aren't capacity controls or fees for last minute booking, making them very valuable for last minute Thansgiving/Christmas travel-- as long as you're going to/from MSP. :)
I know people who occasionally fly SY, and have flown them occasionally for years. However, I used one of their unlimited use passes in Fall 2010, and flew some 30 SY segments to most of their US destinations within the 6 week pass period.

I found their 30 min checkin time cutoff is extremely strict and unforgiving, despite their limited schedules. Result is folks arriving 29 min before departure having no option but to rebook for 24-48 hours later. In out stations, SY staff leave the counter 30 min prior to work the flight, leaving no possibility to rebook until the plane departs.
You better believe that.

A few years ago my wife was flying out of JFK. At least back then, they outsourced check-in to Delta, on a paper list. She got there around 25 min before departure and there was nothing at all that could be done. No SY person available at all.

She ended up using a payphone to call their reservation line and move to the next day.

The next day, her flight left a half hour late. Apparently one of the passengers had called ahead to say he would be late and they delayed the flight for him. And yet, still, the 30 min cutoff was enforced... so they literally delayed the flight for everyone so he could check-in.

It's kind of like Ryanair. You have to know the rules and follow them, but if you can, you can get a great deal.

My overall experience on the LAX flight was pretty good. There was a long line at security at the Humphrey but it moved along well. The vast majority of the travelers appeared to be leisure travelers, only a few laptop luggers like myself.

Boarding was interesting, with first class, those in the service, families with young kids, and elites first, then everybody else. Surprisingly, it wasn't a cluster and seemed less stressful than boarding over in the Lindbergh terminal. No noticeable gate lice.

So far all of the four flights I have taken have been busy but not full. I boarded towards the end and there was no jostling and surprisingly, available overhead space. It looked like more people checked their bags than on other mainline flights, but again, mostly leisure travelers. I checked my bag ($20 additional online).

I was not tempted by the offer of a $119 first class upgrade. Maybe if it were a longer flight I would consider it.

In flight service was good: available video players for rent with movies and other entertainment, pizza, cheeseburgers, and other snacks for purchase, plus the usual choice of free soft drinks and other beverages. The FA's offered seconds on all flights I've been on.

Surprisingly, there was no one in the middle seat on any of my flights. I did purchase a specific seat ahead of time rather than resort to the lottery. The seat was comfortable enough but definitely lacking in back-padding

The cost was with all of the add-ons was about $200 less than a non-stop at equivalent times with Delta, booked at the same time. Other airlines were closer to the SC cost but involved a change of flights.

All flights were on time and arrival back in MSP at the Humphrey was much more pleasant than Lindbergh.

I'm not sure I would consider a much longer flight with Sun Country (I am not a fan of the 737). As a low cost option out of MSP, and being willing to deal with some schedule limitations, I think it is a good option. Looking at Delta's choices for flights to the west coast now hitting $600-$700 a month out it's looking pretty good.

Cheers,
Pogopossum

I will be flying on Sun Country for the first time LAX-MSP this weekend. If I have printed my boarding pass at home and only have carry-on luggage, is there any other check-in required? Or does this 30 minute cut-off time mean I need to have already had my BP scanned and be on board 30 minutes prior to departure?

Thanks--

If you have a boarding pass, you're fine-- make sure you're at the gate 15 min before departure.

Their first class service is actually pretty nice also and very affordable when buying upgrades at the gate/check-in.

I don't mind them, but I'd always pick Delta if the price is the same, which it usually is, or sometimes DL is cheaper.