Sun Country adds 10 new routes, 8 of which will go head-to-head vs. Delta

17.10.2023 - 18:45 / thepointsguy.com / Will Go / Delta

Fast-growing budget carrier Sun Country Airlines remains in expansion mode, announcing 10 new summertime routes — including two to new international destinations — as it extended its booking schedule past Labor Day in 2024.

All of the new routes are seasonal and will be from Sun Country's main hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), where the Minnesota-based carrier has shown an increasing propensity to take on Delta Air Lines. Delta also operates a busy hub at MSP, often putting the two carriers into direct competition in the Twin Cities market.

Eight of Sun Country's 10 new routes will go head-to-head with Delta, even to smaller destinations like Billings, Montana, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for my free biweekly Aviation newsletter from TPG.

The only two new Sun Country routes that will avoid Delta are the airline's new flights from MSP to Oakland, California, and Syracuse, New York. Sun Country will be the only carrier flying nonstop on those routes.

The new international cities joining Sun Country's route map are Toronto and Montreal, which will be served with two flights a week from early June through late August. Sun Country will compete directly with both Air Canada and Delta on those routes.

Sun Country says the new routes will give it "nonstop service from MSP to 98 distinct markets in 2024."

It also comes as the carrier has been increasingly willing to take on Delta, which dominates passenger traffic at MSP, for leisure traffic.

A low-cost remake: Sun Country's CEO is building a 'civilized' budget carrier

"We're trying to turn Minneapolis into a two-airline market," CEO Jude Bricker said last year at the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas. "If you pay with your own money, you fly with Sun Country. If you fly on a corporate contract, you fly Delta."

"Sun Country prides itself on being the leisure airline of choice for MSP customers," Grant Whitney, senior vice president and chief revenue officer for Sun Country, added in a statement detailing the new routes. "We have more than doubled our nonstop destinations for customers flying out of MSP in the last five years and we are thrilled to offer these unique new offerings spanning the continent from Quebec to New Mexico."

Sun Country is seeking to carve out a solid No. 2 position in the Twin Cities, where its leisure-oriented focus will make it a top choice for cost-conscious travelers. Sun County's effort goes beyond its inevitable competition with Delta. Back in 2021, Sun Country appeared to retaliate against low-cost rival Allegiant when the carrier tried to grow its footprint in MSP.

Budget carrier battle: Sun Country appears to retaliate against Allegiant

Elsewhere, Sun Country