DALLAS — On Tuesday, Minnesota-based low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines (SY) announced its latest route network expansion for the summer 2024 season. The carrier is slated to add eight new cities in the United States and two in Canada. These new markets are spread out all across the United States and Canada.

That being said, one thing that most new routes have in common is that SY will compete head-to-head with Delta Air Lines (DL). Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) is a base for hometown carrier SY and DL's second-largest hub behind Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport (ATL).

The new route offering from the carrier's hub, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), includes serving two new destinations in Canada: Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport (YUL) starting June 21, and Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) beginning June 13. That being said, the airline is still awaiting final regulatory approval for these Canadian routes. Sun Country already serves Vancouver from MSP.

Sun Country will also serve eight new markets in the United States, including Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) starting June 19, Billings-Logan International Airport (BIL) starting June 19, Boise Airport (BOI) starting June 19, Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) starting June 6, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) restarting April 18, Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) starting June 21, Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) starting June 13, and Oakland International Airport (OAK) starting May 23.

Although most network additions are entirely new, the route to IAD is a resumption. Sun Country previously operated the route until September 2019. According to SY, all of these routes will be used seasonally, are set to start in the spring of 2024, and will be operated twice weekly except for IAD, which will be a four-times-weekly service.

The network expansion comes on the heels of the airline shifting its flights from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to the smaller William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) beginning in late April 2024.

Minnesota Expansion

Sun Country Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer Grant Whitney commented, "Sun Country prides itself on being the leisure airline of choice for MSP customers... 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."

With the route network expansion, Sun Country will operate 120 routes serving 104 airports throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Moreover, SY will serve 98 destinations from its hub in Minneapolis in 2024. As Sun Country continues to expand, it announced earlier this year that it would acquire five more Boeing 737-900ER aircraft, adding to its fleet of 54 jets. The first 737-900ER will be delivered in late 2024, and the others will be delivered to the airline throughout 2025.

Since the pandemic, SY has been bolstering its network portfolio with both point-to-point and hub-to-spoke routes. In late 2022, Sun Country took the aviation world by surprise after winning its first Essential Air Service (EAS) route in the Wisconsin town of Eau Claire.

Tuesday's announcement is just the latest network expansion for the rapidly growing low-cost carrier. In March 2021, SY went public and used the influx of cash to double down on expanding its presence at its Minneapolis hub. Out of the ten new routes announced on Tuesday, Sun Country will compete head-to-head with Delta on eight, except for Syracuse and Oakland.

This is purposefully done as the American ULCC, the eleventh largest in the US by passengers carried, continues to show a willingness to take DL on from Minneapolis and hopes to purloin cost-conscious travelers.

Featured image: 820SY, Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-800 @KPVU. Photo: Michael Rodeback/Airways