Sun Country, flight attendants reach tentative deal after five years of negotiations

More than five years since negotiations began, budget carrier Sun Country Airlines has reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with its flight attendants.

Minneapolis-based Sun Country and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 120, announced the development Thursday. Officials expect to sign the deal sometime next month.

The agreement will cover approximately 800 flight attendants, according to Sun Country.

According to the union, the deal will increase flight attendants' wages by 22% on average. Other benefits include protections that involve holiday work schedules.

Greg Mays, Sun Country’s chief operating officer, said in a statement that the company has “tremendous respect and appreciation” for its flight attendants. He said the employees play an important role in passenger safety and fulfillment of the company’s mission.

Mays thanked the union’s negotiating committee for its hard work and collaboration.

Tom Erickson, Teamsters Local 120’s president, said Sun Country flight attendants “were united and determined to fight for the contract they deserve.”

“This tentative agreement is a testament to our members' hard work and dedication,” Erickson said in a statement. “All Sun Country Teamsters should be proud to support this contract offer.”

The tentative deal comes about five months after members overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a strike. Eligible members supported that route by a 99% margin, according to the Teamsters.

Before that, beginning in December 2023, the airline and union were negotiating the contract with the help of the National Mediation Board.

Union officials have said Sun Country flight attendants' wages start at $21.53 an hour. Those with more than 30 years of experience could reach an hourly rate of $53.56, though the top pay rate for attendants at the airline still trails that of other low-budget carriers, according to the union.

The flight attendants have been working under a 2014 contract, amended in 2016. Negotiations picked up in November 2019, paused during the pandemic, and resumed in October 2021.

In 2023, flight attendants rejected an earlier tentative agreement, with 96% voting against that proposal.

Flight attendants have in recent years staged informational pickets outside Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) as the contract dispute persisted. Median weekly earnings for flight attendants in 2024 amounted to $1,064, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Sun Country airlines ranked second at MSP last year in terms of passenger market share, at about 11.5% in 2024, according to data that the Metropolitan Airports Commission released Tuesday. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, the airport’s No. 1 carrier, had a 70% share.

Along with flight attendants, other unionized Sun Country employees include its pilots, who won significant pay increases in their most recent contract in December 2021, and its fleet employees and mechanics.

Sun Country employs more than 2,500 people. Most of its workers are based in Minnesota.