What Sun Country Airlines does

Sun Country Airlines is a Minneapolis-based leisure-focused ultra-low-cost carrier founded in 1983, operating scheduled passenger service, dedicated cargo operations for Amazon Prime Air, and charter flights for sports teams and the U.S. Department of Defense. The airline serves over 100 nonstop destinations across North America, Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean using a Boeing 737 fleet of approximately 45 passenger aircraft (737-800 and 737-900ER), targeting budget-conscious leisure travelers with low base fares and ancillary add-on fees for baggage and seat selection. Combined with Allegiant Travel Company post-acquisition, the entity operates 195 aircraft across nearly 175 cities and 650+ routes, serving approximately 22 million annual passengers.

The airline's operating technology centers on a common Boeing 737 airframe spanning passenger and 737-800BCF converted freighter operations, a CCaaS contact-center platform with a pull-model generative-AI chatbot, and industry-standard VR-based pilot training. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through suncountry.com and airport ticket counters, with limited reliance on third-party OTAs. The Amazon cargo relationship operates on a dedicated-fleet, contract-fee basis rather than spot charter, providing schedule stability that passenger ULCC operations lack.

Sun Country's business model layers three revenue streams: transaction-based passenger ticket sales and ancillary fees (the dominant stream, with $1.14 billion in trailing twelve-month revenue at acquisition), contract-based Amazon Prime Air cargo ($34.8M in Q2 2025, up 37% year-over-year), and contract-based charter revenue from sports organizations and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program. Allegiant Travel Company completed its $1.5 billion acquisition on May 13, 2026, after which Sun Country operates as a wholly owned subsidiary, retaining Minneapolis-St. Paul as the combined entity's largest hub while corporate functions consolidate to Las Vegas. Pre-acquisition, the airline reported 13 consecutive profitable quarters and net income of $40.4M on $1.14B in revenue.

Name

Sun Country Airlines

Legal name

Sun Country Airlines

Website

https://suncountry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sun Country Airlines is a Minneapolis-based low-cost carrier providing passenger service to 100+ leisure destinations across the Americas, dedicated Amazon Prime Air cargo via 737-800BCF freighters, and charter flights for sports teams and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Transportation Services

NAICS

Scheduled Air Transportation (48111), Air Transportation (481), Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (481112)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Network (Intercontinental) Full-Service Airlines (THABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scheduled Air Cargo Airlines (All-Cargo Carriers) (THABAEAA), Network Airlines (Full-Service, Flag & Regional) (TLAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Low-cost passenger airlines
• Air cargo services
• Charter flight services
• Scheduled passenger flights
• Leisure travel flights

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Passenger Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from scheduled passenger services. Sun Country operates approximately 45 passenger aircraft serving over 100 nonstop destinations across North America, Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean. Revenue was $1.14 billion trailing twelve months at time of acquisition.
2. Cargo Operations: Amazon Prime Air cargo partnership. Sun Country operates a fleet of 20 Boeing 737-800BCF freighters exclusively for Amazon's air freight operations. Cargo revenue grew 37% year-over-year to $34.8 million in Q2 2025.
3. Charter Services: Sun Country provides charter services for sports teams and the U.S. Department of Defense under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program. This diversifies revenue beyond scheduled passenger service.
4. Ancillary Revenue: Low-cost carrier ancillary revenue model including baggage fees, seat selection, and other add-on services typical of budget airlines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sun Country Airlines operates scheduled low-cost passenger flights serving over 100 nonstop leisure destinations across North America, Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean using a Boeing 737 fleet. In addition, the airline runs dedicated cargo operations through an Amazon Prime Air partnership with a fleet of Boeing 737-800BCF freighters, and provides charter services for sports teams and the U.S. Department of Defense under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program.

Product overview

Sun Country Airlines operates as a leisure-focused low-cost carrier offering three interconnected service lines: scheduled passenger flights serving leisure destinations across North America and international markets (Mexico, Central America, Canada, Caribbean), cargo operations through an Amazon Prime Air partnership with Boeing 737-800BCF freighters, and charter services for sports teams and government clients. The airline serves approximately 22 million annual customers across nearly 175 cities with a fleet of approximately 195 aircraft following its merger with Allegiant Air.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scheduled Passenger Service
• Cargo Operations
• Charter Services

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2026Sun Country Airlines operates cargo flights exclusively for Amazon Prime Air, operating a fleet of 20 Boeing 737-800BCF freighters. Amazon committed to place two additional freighters with Sun Country following the merger announcement, expanding the cargo fleet to 22 aircraft. This partnership provides a stable, growing revenue stream and was a key factor in Allegiant's acquisition decision.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Allegiant Air: Leisure-focused ultra-low-cost carrier and now Sun Country's parent company after the May 2026 acquisition. Operates a similar point-to-point model serving vacation destinations from Las Vegas and other secondary bases, making it the closest direct comparable in business model.
• Spirit Airlines: Ultra-low-cost carrier competing directly with Sun Country on leisure routes, particularly to Florida, Las Vegas, and the Caribbean. Operates an unbundled fare model with heavy ancillary fees that mirrors Sun Country's pricing structure.
• Frontier Airlines: ULCC competing in the same leisure markets with a similar ancillary-driven revenue model and point-to-point network strategy. Closely comparable in fleet type (A320-family) and customer demographic.
• JetBlue Airways: Hybrid low-cost carrier with a significant leisure customer base, particularly in transcontinental and Caribbean routes. Competes with Sun Country on key nonstop leisure corridors from Northeast and East Coast origins.
• Atlas Air Worldwide: Major ACMI and scheduled air cargo operator that also flies for Amazon Prime Air and other e-commerce integrators. Directly comparable to Sun Country's cargo business, which operates dedicated 737-800BCFs for Amazon.
• Air Transport Services Group (ATSG): Leading dedicated freighter operator providing cargo aircraft, crews, and maintenance to Amazon and other integrators. Operates Boeing 767 freighters in a similar contracted-cargo business model to Sun Country's Amazon Prime Air operation.
• Hawaiian Airlines: Leisure-focused carrier connecting mainland US and Asia to Hawaii, with similar narrow-body fleet operations and vacation-driven customer base. Comparable in its reliance on nonstop leisure point-to-point routes and ancillary revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Southwest Airlines: Largest domestic low-cost carrier with overlapping leisure routes, particularly to Florida and the Caribbean. While materially larger and operating a network model, Southwest competes for the same price-sensitive leisure traveler and is a frequent pricing benchmark.

Emerging players

• Breeze Airways: Startup ULCC founded by JetBlue's David Neeleman, focused on underserved secondary city pairs to leisure destinations. Competes with Sun Country on similar point-to-point leisure routes with an emerging single-type fleet.
• Avelo Airlines: Newer US low-cost carrier serving underserved smaller markets and leisure destinations. Operates a similar point-to-point leisure model targeting price-sensitive travelers from secondary airports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/suncountryair
• Facebookfacebook.com/suncountryair
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sun-country-airlines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sun Country Airlines