When Bricker arrived at Sun Country seven years ago, one of the first things he did was remove the first-class section from its planes.
“It’s very difficult to compete with Delta in this market, particularly for premium service,” he said. “They’re good at what they do. They have corporate contracts in the community, which go a long way toward filling those premium seats and they have a really powerful loyalty program. We needed to differentiate ourselves from that and focus on leisure.”
Among the other changes, Sun Country started to own, rather than lease, its airplanes. It also overhauled its ticket sales to rely less on travel agencies and online platforms and more on direct sales from its website. And it expanded its charter and cargo services, helping to level out scheduling of pilots amid the ebbs and flows in passenger flights.
The airline is currently negotiating new contracts with four of its five unionized labor groups. It is in federal mediation on two of them, including its flight attendants. No doubt, Sun Country’s costs will rise as a result of the new contracts.
Bricker said he feels good about the negotiations. “The crews are fantastic and they continue to deliver great, great service to our customers. And they need a raise,” he said.
Finding mechanics and pilots remains a challenge, he said, but he called the overall staffing environment “healthy.”