MSP Travelers May Pay More As Sun Country Shrinks Its Schedule

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- We will have fewer options when booking a flight out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this fall.

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When Allegiant Airlines bought out Sun Country Airlines early this year, they said they wouldn't just maintain flights but actually grow the combined airline's presence over time. However, Thrifty Traveler Executive Editor Kyle Potter says that's not what's happening.

What we've seen so far is just the opposite.  Now that Allegiant has the reins, they've made some pretty substantial reductions to their flights starting in September, where in that month alone Sun Country will be flying a third less than what they had planned to do. They've cut a ton of flights.

Potter says Sun Country has even dropped some destinations altogether. He says there may be more reductions coming too.

Now we're hearing from Allegiant's CEO, not necessarily to that scale, but reductions will likely continue through the end of the year.

Potter says it's terrible timing and a bad sign if those reductions continue into 2027.

He says the CEO has signaled more reductions will continue through the end of the year, due to staffing issues.

What they've told investors just last week was that a lot of Sun Country pilots who have been with the airline for a year or more are jumping ship and going to fly for Delta.  That's been a major problem. If you don't have enough pilots to operate your schedule, there's really only one thing to do: you've got to start canceling flights.

Potter says it's still a bit too early to say what this is going to mean long-term for Sun Country at MSP. The airlines have said the reductions are temporary.

Potter says it could lead to higher prices for travelers.

There are two main things that drive flight prices up and down: supply and demand.  If demand outpaces supply, that means prices are going to go higher.  Does supply contract? Then that means airlines can charge more. And the other thing is competition between the airlines.  The competition between Sun Country and Delta is what has, in many cases, kept fares under control.

If you are thinking of taking a trip over the MEA break, during the holidays, or even for spring break, you might want to start thinking about booking a flight.

I don't have a crystal ball with flight prices, but the conditions right now, especially in and out of Minneapolis, are not looking as encouraging as they were this time last year.  So I would much rather somebody lock in a flight deal that they are okay with, and they can live with, because the odds that flight prices are going to go up if you wait another month or two are probably quite high.

Potter says it's too soon to say if higher prices are due to reduced competition or higher jet fuel prices because of the ongoing war in Iran.