The Longest US Domestic Routes Flown By Sun Country Airlines

Sun Country Airlines was founded in 1982 and is today primarily a leisure-oriented airline. Based at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), the ultra-low-cost carrier offers flights to more than 80 destinations across the US, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Using July 2024 data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, what are Sun County Airlines’ longest US domestic routes?

But first, let’s take a look at Sun Country Airlines’ fleet. According to ch-aviation, the carrier’s fleet is currently made up of 44 Boeing 737-800s, which have an average age of just under 16 years old. Each aircraft is capable of carrying up to 186 passengers in a two-class configuration – 30 in economy plus and 156 in economy class. The airline has five 737-900ERs on order, and also operates 12 737-800BCFs, which are operated on behalf of Amazon Air.

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5

Minneapolis (MSP) – Los Angeles (LAX)

1,526 miles (2,456 km)

Sun Country Airlines will operate 88 flights each way between Minneapolis and Los Angeles in July 2024, with up to four flights per day. Westbound flights have a block time of roughly three hours and 50 minutes, depending on the flight and time of day.

Photo: Sun Country Airlines

Los Angeles was the seventh-busiest domestic route from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, with 497,000 passengers last year. Sun Country Airlines faces significant competition in the form of:

• Up to eight daily flights operated by Delta Air Lines
• A seasonal service from fellow ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines.

4

Minneapolis (MSP) – Oakland (OAK)

1,578 miles (2,539 km)

Sun Country Airlines has 11 flights scheduled between Minneapolis and Oakland in July 2024, with two to three flights per week in each direction. Oakland is the second of three Californian destinations to feature in this list.

Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

Sun Country Airlines is the only carrier that operates the Minneapolis-Oakland route, so it does not face any direct competition. Average block times are as follows:

• Westbound – just over four hours
• Eastbound – three hours and 40 minutes.

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3

Minneapolis (MSP) – San Francisco (SFO)

1,589 miles (2,557 km)

The last of Sun Country Airlines’ California routes to make it into the top 5 longest US domestic routes, the carrier will operate 81 flights each way between Minneapolis and San Francisco in July 2024.

Photo: natmac stock | Shutterstock

Block times are very similar to those seen on the airline’s San Francisco route, which is unsurprising given the difference in distance between the two routes is just 12 miles (19 km). Sun Country Airlines goes head-to-head on the route with two of the largest carriers in the country:

• Delta Air Lines
• United Airlines.

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2

Minneapolis (MSP) – San Juan (SJU)

2,404 miles (3,869 km)

With just four flights scheduled each way between Minneapolis and San Juan in July 2024, this is by far the lowest-frequency route to make it into Sun Country Airlines’ top 5 longest US domestic routes. The route’s once-weekly frequency is clearly aimed at leisure travelers.

Photo: Ian Dewar Photography | Shutterstock

On its route to San Juan, Sun Country Airlines faces direct competition from Delta Air Lines, which also operates once-weekly services using its Boeing 737 aircraft. Average block times are as follows:

• Southbound – five hours and 15 minutes
• Northbound – five hours and 40 minutes.

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1

Minneapolis (MSP) – Anchorage (ANC)

2,518 miles (4,052 km)

Sun Country Airlines’ longest US domestic route in July 2024 is between Minneapolis and Anchorage in Alaska, coming in at 2,518 miles long. The carrier will operate 61 flights each way in for the whole month, equating to a double-daily service.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Westbound flights take an average of five hours and 50 minutes. In terms of direct competition, Sun Country Airlines goes head-to-head with:

• Delta Air Lines – thrice-daily services operated by the Boeing 737
• Alaska Airlines – once-daily summer seasonal service operated by the Boeing 737.

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Sun Country Airlines’ five longest US domestic routes in July 2024 can be seen in the image below:

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is also a major hub for Delta Air Lines, so it is no surprise that Sun Country Airlines goes head-to-head with the SkyTeam member on all but one of its five longest US domestic routes. In 2023, Delta Air Lines had a market share of 58%, followed by SkyWest Airlines (9%) and Sun Country Airlines (6%). Last year, the airport processed more than 34 million passengers, which is still some way behind its pre-pandemic peak of 39 million passengers in 2019.

The five busiest domestic routes from the airport last year were:

• Denver (DEN) – 912,000 passengers
• Phoenix (PHX) – 636,000 passengers
• Chicago (ORD) – 606,000 passengers
• Atlanta (ATL) – 600,000 passengers
• Las Vegas (LAS) – 577,000 passengers

Photo: Delta Air Lines

The airport also sees a handful of long-haul flights across the Atlantic, operated by Delta Air Lines and several European carriers. When it comes to international flights, the five busiest routes last year were:

• Amsterdam (AMS) – 390,000 passengers
• Cancun (CUN) – 357,000 passengers
• Paris (CDG) – 210,000 passengers
• Toronto (YYZ) – 157,000 passengers
• Calgary (YYC) – 130,000 passengers.

Have you flown on any of Sun Country Airlines’ longest US domestic routes listed above? What are your experiences of flying with the airline? Do you envisage the carrier launching any other long domestic services? Let us know by commenting below.