Sun Country Airlines has cut back its flights to 25 destinations due to higher-than-expected pilot attrition following its merger with Allegiant Air.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)-based ultra-low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines has been cutting back its flights in recent months. The reductions came after its merger with Allegiant Air was finalized in May. Apparently, the airline experienced higher-than-expected pilot attrition following the merger.
Many Sun Country pilots reportedly left to join Delta Air Lines, and the airline did not have enough pilots to operate all its scheduled flights. As a result, it dropped several routes altogether.
Most of the destinations Sun Country stopped serving had their last flights in August or September. The cuts are spread across several parts of the US, particularly the Northeast and Western states. Affected destinations include Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Anchorage, and Bozeman. Elsewhere, the airline has also dropped flights to Austin, Tulsa, San Antonio, and Richmond. Most of these routes were operated from the ultra-los-cost carrier's main hub at MSP.
The only exception is the route between Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers and Appleton International Airport (ATW), which last operated in April. Interestingly, this was the only nonstop route overlap between Sun Country and Allegiant Air's combined network of more than 650 routes, according to the US Department of Transportation (DOT). Following the merger, the route was consolidated under Allegiant Air, which continues to operate twice-weekly nonstop flights between the two airports.
Portland, Maine; Buffalo, Hartford, Providence, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Burlington, Asheville, Richmond, Wilmington, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Rapid City, Anchorage, Bozeman, Kalispell, Spokane, Boise, Missoula, San Antonio, Tulsa, Austin, Vancouver, Toronto
In addition to the domestic cuts, Sun Country has also stopped flying to two international destinations: Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). It operated its last flights to YVR in August and YYZ in September. As a result, the Minneapolis-based airline has exited the Canadian market entirely. The budget carrier first entered Canada in 2022, and expanded its Canadian network to include YYZ, YVR, and Montreal.
According to US DOT data, it recorded average load factors between 60% to 78% on these routes through July. In some months, figures even exceeded 90%. However, load factors alone do not determine whether a route is profitable. An airline can fill most of its seats but still struggle to make money if fares are too low. Similarly, a route with fewer passengers can remain profitable if it generates sufficient revenue.
In Sun Country's case, we cannot ignore that these Canadian services were seasonal. MSP faces considerable competition on these routes. Delta Air Lines, which has the largest market share at the airport, offers multiple daily flights to Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Air Canada also operates multiple daily flights to Toronto and a daily seasonal service to Montreal during the summer.
Overall, according to schedule data from aviation analytics provider Cirium, Sun Country Airlines' flights and seat capacity are down by around 11.5% this year compared to 2025. Between November and March 2027, the airline has scheduled approximately 10,515 flights across its network. This is nearly 370 fewer than the 10,884 flights scheduled during the same period a year earlier.
MSP remains Sun Country's busiest hub, with around 185 weekly departures scheduled from the airport. Orlando and Fort Myers are among its major domestic destinations. Internationally, Cancún is its busiest international market. The airline has around seven weekly departures to the Mexican resort city from MSP in November, with frequencies expected to increase to as many as five daily flights in the coming months.