Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Daniel Globe
Sun Country Airlines can be a good choice for travelers who value a low base fare and convenient nonstop leisure routes, especially when flying from Minneapolis–St. Paul. However, it is not a full-service airline. Carry-on bags, checked bags, advance seat selection, and other extras can raise the final cost, so the best choice depends on the total checkout price and your need for schedule flexibility.
Quick Answer
Yes, Sun Country is a reasonable airline for budget-conscious leisure travelers who can pack lightly and find a convenient nonstop flight. Its strengths include competitive base fares, a Boeing 737 fleet, free entertainment, and useful routes from Minneapolis. Its main drawbacks are extra fees, seasonal schedules, limited premium service, and fewer backup flights on some routes.
Key Takeaways
- Sun Country works best for leisure travelers who compare the complete fare, including bags and seats.
- The base fare includes a seat and one personal item that fits under the seat; larger bags generally cost extra.
- The airline operates Boeing 737 passenger aircraft and offers free entertainment on personal devices, but AirFi does not provide internet access.
- Recent punctuality data places Sun Country closer to the middle of the market than at the top.
- Allegiant completed its acquisition of Sun Country in May 2026, but both airlines are still operating separately during integration.
Is Sun Country a Good Airline Overall?
Sun Country is best described as a value-focused leisure airline rather than a stripped-down ultra-low-cost carrier or a traditional full-service airline. It often offers attractive nonstop fares, but the lowest advertised price does not include every service a traveler may need.
The airline is a particularly strong option when it offers the only nonstop flight or a significantly cheaper itinerary from Minneapolis–St. Paul. It becomes less appealing when adding a carry-on, checked bag, assigned seat, flexible-fare option, and other extras makes its total price similar to a larger carrier with more frequent flights.
| Best for | Leisure travelers, light packers, flexible passengers, and people seeking nonstop flights from Minneapolis or other Sun Country cities. |
| Less suitable for | Travelers who need several daily flight options, included bags, premium cabins, extensive lounges, or strong same-day rebooking flexibility. |
| Main strength | Competitive nonstop leisure travel when the route and schedule fit. |
| Main drawback | The final price can rise after adding baggage, seats, and flexibility, while some routes operate only seasonally or a few times per week. |
What Kind of Airline Is Sun Country?
Sun Country is a hybrid low-cost carrier based in Minnesota. Its business combines scheduled passenger flights, charter operations, and cargo flying. This mixed model allows aircraft and crews to be used differently as seasonal leisure demand changes.
On May 13, 2026, Allegiant Travel Company completed its acquisition of Sun Country. Sun Country is now an Allegiant-owned airline, but the two carriers continue to operate separately while integration work is underway. Travelers should still book, check in, manage reservations, redeem rewards, and request assistance through the airline that issued their ticket.
Note: Sun Country and Allegiant tickets and rewards are not currently interchangeable. Existing Sun Country reservations, vouchers, Rewards points, and card benefits continue under their present rules. Future integration changes should be announced before they take effect.
Passengers can review the latest transition information on the official Allegiant and Sun Country integration page.
Safety Record and Aircraft Maintenance
Sun Country is a U.S. commercial airline subject to federal operating, maintenance, pilot-training, and safety requirements. Its aircraft and crews must meet the applicable standards for scheduled passenger service.
The airline’s current profile on AirlineRatings gives it a 7-out-of-7 safety score. The rating awards full marks for factors including its recent fatal-accident record, operating standards, IOSA status, and absence from the European Union’s banned-carrier list. This provides useful independent context, but no rating can guarantee that a future flight will be free from risk.
Travelers researching a specific event can also use the National Transportation Safety Board aviation database, which contains U.S. civil-aviation accident and selected incident investigations.
Note: A safety rating, fleet age, online review, delay, diversion, or isolated maintenance event should not be interpreted alone. Safety is better evaluated through regulatory oversight, accident and incident records, training, maintenance systems, and the airline’s response to identified risks.
On-Time Performance and Reliability
Sun Country’s reliability is acceptable but should not be described as consistently industry-leading. OAG’s North American on-time dashboard displayed Sun Country with 74.86% on-time performance and a 0.53% cancellation rate for its current reporting period when this article was updated. These figures change as new flights are added to the dataset.
A recent OAG reporting snapshot placed about three out of four Sun Country flights within the standard on-time arrival window, with cancellations remaining comparatively uncommon during that period.
The U.S. Department of Transportation generally considers a flight on time when it arrives less than 15 minutes after its scheduled arrival. A systemwide percentage is helpful, but it cannot predict the result of a specific trip. Weather, airport congestion, aircraft positioning, crew availability, and the performance history of the exact flight all matter.
Sun Country’s leisure network also includes seasonal and lower-frequency routes. When a route operates only a few times per week, a cancellation may be harder to recover from than it would be on a route with several flights each day. The airline may offer an alternate itinerary or refund when required, but it may not have another Sun Country departure available the same day.
Pro Tip: For an important trip, favor an earlier departure and check how often the route operates. A low fare may not be worth the risk when the next available flight is one or two days later.
Customer Service and Support
Sun Country provides reservation support, airport assistance, a mobile app, and online tools for checking in, viewing flight status, accessing boarding passes, and managing trips. The airline has also introduced self-service options for some extended disruptions, including choosing alternate flight options, obtaining eligible refunds, and receiving meal or hotel vouchers when offered.
Customer-service quality can vary by airport, time of day, and type of problem. Routine changes may be handled quickly online, while weather events or widespread cancellations can create long waits across every support channel. Passenger reviews should therefore be treated as individual experiences rather than proof that every customer will receive the same result.
When Sun Country cancels a flight or makes a qualifying significant change and the passenger rejects the alternative offered, the traveler may be entitled to a refund under the airline’s contract and federal rules. The U.S. Department of Transportation explains passenger rights on its flight delays and cancellations page.
Warning: Do not assume the airline must pay for every hotel, meal, missed cruise, rental car, or separate ticket after a delay. Assistance depends on the cause, applicable law, the airline’s commitments, and the terms of the reservation. Travel insurance may cover risks that the airline does not.
Fares, Baggage, Seats, and Extra Fees
Sun Country uses an à-la-carte fare model. The base ticket covers transportation, an assigned seat, and one qualifying personal item. Travelers pay separately for many other options.
| Item | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Personal item | Included when it fits under the seat and stays within the published 17 × 13 × 9-inch limit. |
| Full-size carry-on | Usually costs extra. The published maximum is 24 × 16 × 11 inches. |
| Checked bag | Usually costs extra. A standard checked bag may be up to 50 pounds and 62 linear inches before overweight or oversized charges apply. |
| Advance seat selection | Optional and generally subject to a fee. Travelers who do not purchase a seat receive an assignment during check-in. |
| Priority services | Priority check-in, boarding, and other trip extras may be purchased where available. |
| Changes and flexibility | Rules depend on the fare and optional flexibility products purchased. Review the cancellation value and any credit expiration before payment. |
Bag prices can vary by route, purchase time, and other factors. Sun Country advises travelers to add baggage during booking for its lowest available bag pricing. Confirm the current amount on the airline’s bags and optional services page.
Travelers who skip paid seat selection should not assume that a group will automatically sit together. The airline assigns available seats at check-in, and adjacent seats may be limited by that time. Paying for seats in advance is the safer option when sitting beside a child, partner, or travel companion is essential.
Pro Tip: Compare the final Sun Country checkout total with competing flights after adding every bag, seat, and flexibility option you need. A higher base fare on another airline may become cheaper once the same services are included.
Fleet, Seats, and Onboard Experience
Sun Country operates a largely standardized Boeing 737 fleet. Its passenger operation includes Boeing 737-800 and 737-900ER aircraft, rather than the mixed Boeing 737, Airbus A320, and Embraer E190 fleet previously shown in this article.
The latest detailed public fleet disclosure reported 47 passenger-service aircraft and 20 cargo aircraft as of December 31, 2025. Three additional aircraft were leased to unaffiliated airlines at that date. Because aircraft can enter service, leave service, or return from leases, these figures should be treated as a dated fleet snapshot.
| Fleet Category | Latest Published Detail |
|---|---|
| Passenger aircraft | 47 aircraft as of December 31, 2025 |
| Passenger types | Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-900ER |
| Cargo operation | 20 Boeing 737 freighters as of December 31, 2025 |
| Aircraft leased to others | Three aircraft as of December 31, 2025 |
Passengers can choose among Standard, Exit Row, and Best seats where available. Best seats provide extra legroom, an AC power outlet, and a complimentary premium beverage. Exit Row seats provide extra room but require passengers to meet emergency-exit eligibility requirements.
Most seats provide USB charging, while in-seat power availability can depend on the seat and aircraft. Sun Country offers free AirFi entertainment that streams movies, television programs, games, music, and other content to a passenger’s own device.
AirFi is not onboard internet service. Passengers can connect to the aircraft’s entertainment network, but they should not expect to browse normal websites, use cloud-based work apps, or send messages through the public internet.
Complimentary nonalcoholic drinks commonly include water, coffee, tea, juice, and soda. Snacks, alcoholic drinks, and other premium items are available for purchase.
Route Network and Destinations
Sun Country focuses on leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives travel. Its network covers destinations in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean.
In 2026, the airline described a network of more than 115 routes serving nearly 100 airports. Minneapolis–St. Paul remains its most important passenger market, with frequent leisure service to Florida, Arizona, Nevada, California, Mexico, and Caribbean destinations. It also operates selected routes from other Upper Midwest cities and locations connected to its charter schedule.
Many routes are seasonal. A destination may operate daily during a holiday period but only a few times per week during another season, or disappear from the schedule for part of the year. Always confirm the return schedule before building a cruise, wedding, international connection, or other time-sensitive trip around a Sun Country flight.
Reviews and Ratings
What Passengers Commonly Like
Positive reviews often focus on low fares, friendly crews, straightforward nonstop flights, complimentary drinks, free entertainment, and the convenience of Sun Country’s Minneapolis network. Travelers who understand the à-la-carte model and pack lightly are more likely to view the airline as a good value.
Common Complaints
Negative reviews frequently involve bag and seat fees, schedule changes, limited flight frequency, long waits during disruptions, or expectations that did not match the low-cost fare. A traveler paying for several extras may also feel that the final price was less competitive than the original search result suggested.
How to Use Airline Reviews Properly
Do not rely only on a website’s overall star score. Review the date, route, airport, aircraft, and cause of the complaint. A review about a weather cancellation may reveal little about normal cabin service, while a review about a specific seat or baggage rule may be directly relevant to your trip.
For reliability, use operational data and the recent history of the exact flight. For fees and policies, use Sun Country’s official website. For safety investigations, use government records rather than social-media posts.
Sun Country Rewards and Benefits
Sun Country Rewards is free to join. Members generally earn two points per dollar spent directly with Sun Country and one point per dollar on qualifying bookings made through travel agents or other travel websites.
Sun Country states that 100 points equal $1 toward eligible Sun Country purchases. Points can be used for flights, vacation packages, bags, and seat selections, and members can combine points with money. The program does not impose blackout dates on reward use.
The Plus status tier can be earned by completing 10 qualifying Sun Country flights in a calendar year or meeting the stated annual spending requirement on the Sun Country Visa Signature Card. Benefits include an additional point per dollar on Sun Country purchases, Flexible Fare, priority check-in, priority boarding, and priority-security access at Minneapolis where available.
Following the Allegiant acquisition, Sun Country Rewards and Allegiant’s loyalty program remain separate. Existing Sun Country points retain their value under the current program, but they cannot yet be combined with or spent through Allegiant.
Review current rules on the Sun Country Rewards page before transferring spending or booking travel mainly to earn status.
Financial Stability and Allegiant Ownership
Sun Country reported its fifth consecutive profitable year for 2025. It generated approximately $1.13 billion in full-year operating revenue and $52.8 million in net income, while reporting $302.8 million in total liquidity at year-end.
Those figures represent Sun Country’s final full year as a separately traded public company. Allegiant completed its acquisition in May 2026, making Sun Country part of a larger leisure-focused airline group. The acquisition may create a broader network and more operating scale over time, but airline integrations can also bring changes to systems, policies, branding, schedules, and loyalty programs.
For passengers, the most important current fact is that operations remain separate. A Sun Country ticket is still handled by Sun Country, and an Allegiant ticket is still handled by Allegiant. Future changes should be evaluated when official details are published rather than assumed in advance.
Pros and Cons of Flying Sun Country
| Advantages | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
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How to Decide Before Booking
Use the following checklist before choosing Sun Country:
- Calculate the complete fare. Add every carry-on, checked bag, assigned seat, and flexibility option you expect to purchase.
- Check the route frequency. Find out when the next Sun Country flight would leave if your original flight were canceled.
- Review the airport. Confirm the correct terminal, check-in cutoff, international-document requirements, and local security wait times.
- Check the exact flight’s recent performance. A route-specific history is more useful than one airline-wide percentage.
- Read the change and cancellation terms. Know whether you would receive a refund, credit, or fee after a voluntary change.
- Purchase seats when adjacency matters. Do not rely on random check-in assignments to keep a group together.
- Pack to the published measurements. Airport bag charges and oversize fees can erase the savings from a low fare.
- Consider travel insurance for expensive prepaid plans. This may be especially useful for cruises, resorts, event tickets, and separate connecting flights.
Useful Travel Accessories
Travelers using a low-cost fare can reduce stress by packing efficiently and keeping important items accessible. A carry-on suitcase with a USB charger may help organize devices, although portable battery rules must be followed. Cigar travelers can review options for a travel humidor, while a scarf with a hidden pocket can provide convenient storage for small valuables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sun Country a good airline?
Sun Country can be a good airline for leisure travelers who find a convenient nonstop flight, pack lightly, and compare the final price after fees. It is less suitable for passengers who need extensive premium service, included baggage, or many daily backup flights.
Is Sun Country Airlines safe?
Sun Country is a federally regulated U.S. commercial airline. AirlineRatings currently awards it a 7-out-of-7 safety score based on its published criteria. No safety score guarantees a risk-free flight, so official NTSB records remain the best source for specific accident or incident investigations.
What is included in a Sun Country base fare?
The base fare includes transportation, a seat assignment, and one personal item that fits under the seat. A full-size carry-on, checked baggage, advance seat selection, priority services, and some flexibility options generally cost extra.
Does Sun Country have Wi-Fi?
Sun Country offers free AirFi entertainment that streams content to a passenger’s personal device. AirFi does not provide ordinary internet access, so travelers should download work files, messages, and other online content before boarding.
Will Sun Country seat families together?
Passengers can purchase seats in advance. Travelers who skip seat selection receive available assignments during check-in, and adjacent seats may not remain. When sitting together is essential, selecting seats before the flight is the safer approach.
What destinations does Sun Country serve?
Sun Country serves nearly 100 airports across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. Minneapolis–St. Paul is its main passenger market, and many leisure routes operate seasonally.
Did Allegiant buy Sun Country Airlines?
Yes. Allegiant Travel Company completed its acquisition of Sun Country on May 13, 2026. The airlines continue to operate separately during integration, so customers should still use Sun Country’s website, app, support channels, and rewards program for Sun Country bookings.
What are the main drawbacks of flying Sun Country?
The main drawbacks are extra charges for larger bags and advance seat selection, seasonal or limited-frequency routes, no standard internet access onboard, fewer premium benefits, and potentially limited same-day rebooking choices after a cancellation.
Sources
- Allegiant Travel Company acquisition announcement — confirms the May 13, 2026 acquisition.
- Sun Country full-year 2025 results — supports fleet, profitability, revenue, income, and liquidity information.
- Sun Country corporate overview — supports its business model, aircraft types, network, and onboard experience.
- OAG North America on-time performance data — supports the dated punctuality and cancellation snapshot.
- U.S. Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Reports — explains on-time reporting and airline consumer-performance data.
- Sun Country Rewards overview — supports earning rates, redemption value, and points-plus-cash information.