Sun Country Eyes Low-Cost Carrier Status
Joe Cortez August 22, 2017
New leadership eyes adding more seats to new flights to improve profitability.
Regional carrier Sun Country Airlines is considering joining the ranks of America’s low-cost aviators as a move to cut costs and improve financial performance. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the hometown airline will explore adding more seats to aircraft, implementing passenger fees in certain situations and begin flying to new destinations.
The plan comes from new CEO Jude Bricker, a former Allegiant Air executive who joined the Minneapolis-based carrier in July 2017. In an internal memo, Bricker announced the new direction for the carrier, selling it not as a loss of quality, but an opportunity to stabilize airline operations. The plan was backed by owner Marty Davis, who says the vision won’t disrupt the character of the airline.
“We don’t want to nickel and dime customers,” Davis told the Star Tribune. “We want to stabilize it for long-term growth by finding the right rhythm between our pricing and customer service.”
As a result, the carrier will begin exploring the path to becoming a low-cost carrier similar to Frontier Airlines or Spirit Airlines. However, unlike the other low cost carriers, Bricker promised to differentiate their airline by writing: “We’ll continue to offer a better product.”
To pursue the new direction, Bricker has offered buyouts to flight attendants and non-union employees who have over 10 years of experience and “were not on board with the new vision.” Pilots will not be offered buyout packages, as the airline industry is projecting the need for over 2 million aviation workers, including over 600,000 pilots, by 2035.
