Sun Country Airlines is reducing its flight schedule during the spring season due to decreased travel demand caused by the spread of COVID-19. The airline is one of the first U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers to drop several routes in response to the new global virus.
Beginning in April, Sun Country will reduce the number of flights from its Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) hub and 14 destinations, including several on the West Coast where the heaviest concentration of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have been reported. In April, Sun Country will operate fewer flights between Minneapolis and Los Angeles, Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago-O’Hare, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. In May, the airline will reduce its schedule from Minneapolis to Anchorage, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Newark and Fort Myers.
In May, the airline will also end its seasonal route earlier between Minneapolis and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The airline will also drop three routes from Portland, Oregon to Honolulu, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
“Travel demand is being impacted by the uncertainty around COVID-19, and we’re seeing softness in bookings for April and May. In response, we’ve made targeted capacity adjustments,” a Sun Country spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
“Most of the reductions are in markets where we offer many flights, allowing seamless re-accommodation opportunities for customers.”
The airline hopes to restore full service in June. “Our hope is this will be the extent of our schedule changes, but this is a unique situation, so we will continue to closely monitor demand for necessary adjustments.”
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