The merger has been completed. For now, the two airlines will remain operationally separate until they obtain a combined operating certificate, which is expected to take over a year.
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I never thought that this would actually happen.
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Interesting fun fact:
With the merger, Minneapolis is now the combined airline’s busiest airport, per the Points Guy.
Nice. I’m just hoping for it to show up to San Diego at some point soon…
What’s your personal opinion on the merger, @Mort?
I’m quite sad. Sun Country was extremely unique and holds a special place in my heart. Definitely a beloved carrier. It is very different than the other airlines. It’s a ULCC with a national presence, but it all comes back to Minnesota. They serve Minnesota snacks, Minnesota beverages, and feature Minnesota on all their branding (on the “Tide Pod” livery’s blue tail section, you can see a bathymetric map of Lake Minnetonka).
Their operating model is so unusual. They’re highly seasonal and very attuned to local demand. Most flights don’t operate daily – they’re very flexibly scheduled to optimize load factors. They have a big contract for cargo with Amazon which is a giant revenue generator during soft times for passenger travel. The charters are also fascinating and another great way for them to make money.
And it all really worked well for them. They have the highest profit margin of any airline in the entire country, even beating out legacy carriers like Delta.
I get why they merged from the financial side of things (and I think Sun Country’s CEO being the former COO at Allegiant had a big part in it), but from the customer side it’s a real loss. Sun County is quite beloved in Minnesota, and now the locality is going to be scrubbed clean.
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100% agree with everything this post says 
The new Sun Country retro livery is dedicated to the president and CEO Jim Olsen who passed last month. Sun Country Debuts ’90s Retro Livery
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Very cool! I’ve seen a lot of charters out of DCA recently.
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Awww yeah. Can’t wait to see it soon.
Sun Country is very rare at DCA - only about once or twice a year so you are very lucky!
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Sun Country should go back to their blue livery. I dub it the Sun Chips scheme.
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Dannggg and two were there! I assumed that it was regular since there were 2
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Sun Country recently started to fly from Tulsa to Cancun. Wondering if Allegiant will end the route once they fully merge.Finally Happened: This US City Gets 1st-Ever International Flights [Map & Schedule]
End? No. They’ll probably adopt that route
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It seems to be doing well from the bookings side, so Allegiant has no reason to end it.
I live in WI and I have flown Sun Country a lot. I will miss it but it will be a good chapter for Sun Country & Alliegent.
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Wish they could add flights to Wausau on allegiant, I know that cwa is looking for a new carrier that after Avelo left,
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