Sun Country is betting that winter-weary travelers in the Upper Midwest will be ready for a warm-weather vacation by early 2025.
The Minneapolis-based carrier this week unveiled its latest schedule expansion, which includes two new routes to the Caribbean. Specifically, Sun Country will connect Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic and Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The Punta Cana route begins on December 26, 2024, with twice-weekly service, while the Montego Bay route begins on January 25, 2025, with two weekly flights.
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Sun Country will enjoy a monopoly on all of its nonstop international routes from Milwaukee, which should help the airline fill its planes.
Additionally, the carrier will resume MKE’s service to Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Mexico, a route it last operated during the previous winter season through April 2024, depending on schedule Cirium.
In total, Sun Country will operate eight routes from Milwaukee. This includes the aforementioned international service – the largest of any carrier in Milwaukee – as well as routes to Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Orlando and Fort Myers, Florida.
The new Milwaukee routes come as Sun Country extends its schedule through April 29, 2025, giving travelers plenty of time to start planning their winter and spring vacations.
The airline says this schedule departs from its hometown airport and key hub, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is the largest on record.
Sun Country will resume all seasonal MSP routes during the winter while increasing capacity on existing routes by adding frequencies. (The airline specifically highlighted additional service to Aruba, Grand Cayman, Punta Cana and Roatan, Honduras.)
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The airline will serve more than 55 destinations from MSP next winter, most of which are popular beach destinations in Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico. Sun Country focuses exclusively on leisure air passengers going on vacation and visiting family and friends. These new routes are consistent with the carrier’s network strategy and appear well-positioned for success.
“Sun Country continues to expand its MSP program into the welcoming destinations most popular with our customers. These are the places our customers love to visit with flights more days per week throughout the season. We rely on what works well for us and our travelers,” said Grant Whitney, senior vice president and chief revenue officer at Sun Country, in a statement.
Additionally, although Sun Country has historically operated on a low-cost carrier model, the airline launched a new mobile app this week. The app is designed to strengthen the airline’s digital capabilities and make it easier for travelers to book their travel and make self-service reservations.
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