Get out your sunscreen, Minnesota. Sun Country Airlines announced Wednesday it is adding flights to Honolulu and Myrtle Beach, S.C., for a limited time during the spring and summer months.
In the first announcement since being acquired last week by a New York-based investment group, Sun Country Airlines raised its cachet of vacation-style destinations considerably by adding Hawaii to its network of 43 domestic and international routes.
Service to Hawaii's capital city will begin May 19 and run through Aug. 19, with a layover in Los Angeles. Flights will run four days a week, Friday through Monday.
The airline will fly directly to Myrtle Beach, a coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, on Mondays and Fridays between April 6 and June 4.
Apollo Global Management purchased the Eagan-based carrier on Dec. 14 for an undisclosed sum.
Sun Country, which flies out of Terminal 2-Humphrey, has built its business around offering low-cost flights to an array of sunny climes and vacation spots that don't always support frequent service preferred by bigger airlines. It flies across the U.S. as well as to Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean.
Though Sun Country is profitable, its performance has been near the bottom of an industry that has been thriving in recent years.
New CEO Jude Bricker, a former Allegiant Air executive, was hired in July to lower costs and generate more revenue. In October the airline announced plans to introduce bag and seat fees.
Sun Country will be going head-to-head with Delta Air Lines, which flies directly to Honolulu in addition to stop-over flights at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Jackie Crosby • 612-673-7335
