Crew Attrition Forces Sun Country Schedule Cuts

The carrier reduced roughly one-third of its September flying as it balances pilot staffing with increased cargo demand.

Ryan Ewing

Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 06:30 AM ET

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Zach Vasile

A Sun Country Boeing 737-800 (Photo: Shutterstock | Natmac Stock)

Sun Country reduced its September schedule after higher-than-expected crew attrition and additional cargo flying created staffing pressure, according to an internal memo viewed by AirlineGeeks.

In a July 3 message to Allegiant and Sun Country flight crews, Allegiant CEO Greg Anderson said the carrier trimmed its fall scheduled capacity “due to higher-than-expected front-line crew attrition combined with increased cargo flying.”

Anderson said passenger and cargo operations rely on the same crews. He described the reductions as temporary and said the company is increasing pilot hiring to rebuild staffing in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

In a separate statement to AirlineGeeks, the company attributed the reductions to seasonal demand, higher-than-expected cargo flying, and an expanded pilot pathway program that requires experienced pilots to move into instructor roles.

Sun Country removed roughly 348 September departures from its schedule, representing about one-third of the month’s previously planned flying, according to Cirium Diio schedule data.

The reductions are largely limited to September. Schedules from October 2026 through April 2027 remain mostly unchanged, while the airline added flights on several routes, including additional service between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Providence, Rhode Island.

September Suspensions

In total, Sun Country reduced service on 34 routes. Seven Minneapolis routes were suspended for the month: Cancún; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Asheville and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Baltimore/Washington; and Phoenix-Mesa.

Several routes that remain scheduled also received significant cuts. Flights between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Los Angeles were reduced by approximately 39%, while Orlando and San Francisco saw similar reductions. Chicago O’Hare service was cut by about 62%.

Sun Country has continued expanding its cargo operation for Amazon Air using Boeing 737 freighters. In January, the airline also opened its first operational base outside Minneapolis at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a major hub for Amazon’s air cargo network.

The schedule changes come as Allegiant integrates Sun Country following the completion of its acquisition on May 13.

In the memo, Anderson said Allegiant and Sun Country will continue operating as separate airlines under separate operating certificates until the Federal Aviation Administration approves a single operating certificate. He estimated that process could take between 18 and 24 months.

An Allegiant Airbus A320 (Photo: Shutterstock | Joe A. Kunzler)

Each pilot group will also remain under its existing collective bargaining agreement until joint contract negotiations begin, according to Anderson.

The company does not expect to close additional bases beyond the previously announced Savannah, Georgia, and Bellingham, Washington, locations. Anderson also said future growth in Minneapolis would include additional locally based crews rather than displacing existing employees, though some flying could eventually be operated from legacy Allegiant bases.

Sun Country’s approximately 670 pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. Their contract became amendable in December 2025.

Allegiant pilots, represented by the Teamsters, reached a tentative agreement on July 11 that includes pay increases and an estimated $300 million in retention bonuses.

“The spike in attrition among our pilot group is deeply concerning,” Capt. Sam Larson, chair of the Sun Country Master Executive Council, said in a statement provided to AirlineGeeks. “We expect management to address the root causes without delay and to make the long-term stability of this airline and our pilots the priority, not a short-term fix.”

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

WestJet Flight Attendants Vote to Authorize Strike

The airline and CUPE 8125 have been negotiating for a new contract for several months.

Zach Vasile

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 04:59 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A WestJet Boeing 787 enters the runway at Paine Field in Washington. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Bailey)

Around 4,400 WestJet flight attendants could walk off the job next month if a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached soon.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125, which represents the flight attendants, said Wednesday that the worker group voted by 99.4% to give their bargaining team strike authorization.

The vote does not necessarily mean that WestJet’s flight attendants will go on strike, only that they could in the future. After a mandated 21-day “cooling off” period, the soonest the group could stop working is Aug. 2.

“The members of CUPE 8125 are united and determined,” local president Alia Hussain said in a statement. “They voted to strike because they stand behind the bargaining priorities that they have identified, especially pay for all hours of work performed. WestJet should do the right thing and prevent travel disruptions for their passengers.”

WestJet and its unionized flight attendants have been negotiating for a new labor contract for months. The current contract, which came into effect in 2021, became amendable at the end of 2025.

According to the CBC, WestJet leaders have acknowledged that some changes will be needed to keep the flight attendants’ pay ahead of inflation, but it is not clear if they will accept CUPE’s demand for a new pay model, which would provide compensation for duties and hours worked outside of flights. The airline has argued that it already pays for those extra hours with an above-standard “credit hour” system.

Similar concerns underlined a short-lived flight attendant strike at Air Canada last year.

WestJet is Canada’s second-largest airline, and a strike by flight attendants would cancel hundreds of flights per day, snarling the country’s air transportation system.

Zach Vasile

Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of commercial aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.

Qantas A321 Becomes First Freighter to Land at New Sydney Airport

The city’s second international airport will officially open to the public on Oct. 25.

Zach Vasile

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 02:58 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

Construction of the Nancy-Bird Walton International Airport runway, Western Sydney. (Photo: Western Sydney Airport)

A Qantas Airbus A321 freighter became the first cargo aircraft to touch down at Western Sydney Airport on Monday, marking another step forward as the facility readies for a full public opening later this year.

Qantas said the A321 flew into Western Sydney as part of a readiness flight that helped validate new operational processes for the airport, including aircraft handling, ground operations, airside coordination, and cargo transfer procedures.

Regular domestic freighter operations are set to commence at Western Sydney on July 27, and Qantas will be by far the largest cargo operator there.

Western Sydney Airport, also referred to as Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, is located in Luddenham and Badgerys Creek, about 30 miles west of downtown Sydney. It will supplement Sydney Airport, the busiest airport in Australia and the main hub for Qantas.

Western Sydney is scheduled to open for passenger flights on Oct. 25. So far, four passenger carriers – Qantas, Melbourne-based Jetstar, Singapore Airlines, and Air New Zealand – have announced plans to operate there.

Australian officials debated building a second international airport in Sydney for decades. The federal government selected the site for Western Sydney Airport in 2014, and construction on the main facilities began in 2018.

Zach Vasile

UPS, Boeing Hit With New Lawsuit Over 2025 Louisville Crash

The accident killed 15 and resulted in the temporary grounding of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.

Zach Vasile

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 12:50 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A UPS MD-11F. (Photo: Shutterstock | Austin Deppe)

The family of a man who was fatally injured when a cargo aircraft plowed into an industrial area outside Louisville, Kentucky, last year is suing several companies they say are responsible for his death, including UPS and Boeing.

A complaint filed earlier this week in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky seeks compensation for relatives of Matthew Sweets, a 37-year-old electrician in training and father of two. Sweets was inside Grade-A Auto Parts, a parts and scrap metal recycling business, on Nov. 4, 2025, when wreckage from a UPS-operated McDonnell Douglas MD-11 hit the building. He suffered third-degree burns over most of his body and died two days later at University of Louisville Hospital.

Attorneys representing Sweets’ family said his death is directly attributable to the actions of UPS, Boeing, GE, and VT San Antonio Aerospace.

Boeing manufactured the last of the MD-11s after acquiring McDonnell Douglas in 1997 and assumed responsibility for the fleet’s maintenance and continued airworthiness; GE designed and manufactured the three CF6 engines installed on the accident aircraft, registered as N259UP. VT San Antonio Aerospace, of Texas, performed maintenance, inspection, and repair work on the airplane prior to the crash.

All four companies have been targeted in other lawsuits connected to the accident. Each has declined to comment while the cases are ongoing.

The most recent complaint alleges that Boeing did not do enough to address known problems with the MD-11’s engine pylon assembly. The NTSB has linked the crash of N259UP to the failure of the aircraft’s left pylon, which caused the left engine to detach from the wing shortly after takeoff.

Both Boeing and UPS were aware of earlier issues with the pylon’s bearing race assembly but did not report them to the FAA, the attorneys wrote. Boeing was also faulted for failing to reclassify the bearing race assembly in a manner that would have increased the frequency of inspections.

GE and VT San Antonio are accused of breaching their duty of care by failing to identify or address the risk of a structural failure in the engine pylon.

“The defendants knew that MD-11s were compromised,” the lawsuit reads. “They knew, and they flew them anyway.”

The crash of UPS Flight 2976 killed all three crew members and 12 people on the ground, including Sweets. The aircraft was carrying approximately 38,000 gallons of jet fuel for the flight from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport to Honolulu, and when it crashed the fuel ignited in a massive explosion. Nearby tanks of lubricating oil, hydraulic oil, transmission fluid, and diesel fuel also went up in flames, resulting in a fire that took over a day to contain.

The global MD-11 fleet was temporarily grounded until Boeing developed and implemented a repair protocol. FedEx’s MD-11s began to reenter service in May. UPS has permanently retired the type.

Lawyers representing Sweets’ family did not attach a dollar amount to their claims but said they will seek compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to attorney fees.

Zach Vasile

American Starts Second Service to Venezuela

Flights will operate daily using Embraer E175 aircraft.

Zach Vasile

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 10:11 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An American Eagle E175. (Photo: Shutterstock | Austin Deppe)

American Airlines on Tuesday launched nonstop service between Miami and Maracaibo, Venezuela, the carrier’s second connection to the country.

Going forward, flights will operate daily using Embraer E175 aircraft. The carrier is using La Chinita International Airport, which is located south of Maracaibo proper.

American reestablished the air link between the U.S. and Venezuela in April with the resumption of flights between Miami and Caracas. The federal government banned passenger and cargo flights to and from Venezuela in 2019 as the country entered a period of extreme economic and political instability, but that order was reversed in January following the capture and extradition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Relations between the two governments have somewhat normalized in the months since.

American’s service to Caracas has been suspended since June 24, when two earthquakes caused significant widespread damage across northwestern and central Venezuela. Flights will resume when the airport in Caracas reopens to commercial traffic, the airline said.

United plans to resume nonstop service between Houston Bush and Caracas next month. JetBlue has said it will connect Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Caracas, but no start date has been announced.

Zach Vasile

Hawaiian Drops Seasonal Route as Alaska Adds Winter Flights

The carriers are prioritizing domestic connections to Hawaii to meet strong demand.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 04:40 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An Alaska Boeing 737 MAX 9. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Alaska and Hawaiian on Tuesday announced new routes and flights for the winter travel season.

Most notably, Alaska will launch new nonstop service between Honolulu and Boise, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington. Flights between Honolulu and Boise will operate daily between Dec. 17 and March 21, 2027, while flights between Honolulu and Spokane will run weekly, on Saturdays, from Dec. 19 to April 17, 2027. Both connections will use Alaska-branded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Demand from Boise and Spokane has been particularly strong during the winter and early spring seasons, Alaska officials said, with a significant number of travelers continuing to the Hawaiian islands beyond Oʻahu.

The carrier will be the only airline in the world linking Honolulu with the two Pacific Northwest cities when flights begin in December.

Hawaiian Ends International Route

Hawaiian, meanwhile, will expand capacity on certain existing routes, including Honolulu-to-Las Vegas, which will see additional flights during peak travel periods in the winter and spring. Exact dates were not provided.

As part of the schedule adjustment, Hawaiian will drop its seasonal service to Auckland, New Zealand, officials said. The service, which operated three times weekly during the Northern Hemisphere winter months, was set to resume in November.

The airline also cited high fuel costs, soft demand recovery in international Pacific markets, unfavorable exchange rates, and “evolving global travel trends” in its decision to exit Auckland.

Zach Vasile

Frontier Adds Four New Routes

Flights will start in November and December.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 02:54 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Frontier A321neo. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Frontier will launch four new nonstop routes across the U.S. and Caribbean later this year.

Starting Nov. 20, the ultra-low-cost airline will connect Denver and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Detroit and Los Angeles; and Kansas City and Orlando, Florida. A fourth new route, Houston Bush to San Juan, Puerto Rico, will start the following month, on Dec. 17.

All routes will operate once daily except for Kansas City-Orlando, which will run four times weekly.

Frontier has been adding connections over the past two months in an attempt to capture market share left behind by the collapse of former competitor Spirit Airlines. Earlier this month it launched service on eight former Spirit routes, including Boston to Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth to New Orleans, and Detroit to Philadelphia.

Zach Vasile

Frontier to Offer Starlink Wi-Fi

The carrier expects to launch its first Starlink-equipped aircraft in 2027.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 11:35 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Frontier Airbus A320neo. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Frontier this week became the latest U.S. airline to select SpaceX’s Starlink for in-flight wireless internet service.

The carrier said Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency offering will allow passengers to stream high-definition content, game, and work much as they would on the ground. The service will also provide gate-to-gate connectivity for the airline’s pilots, flight attendants, maintenance teams, and ground operations workers.

Frontier said it plans to launch its first Starlink-equipped aircraft in early 2027. It will be the first carrier in the U.S. to use a new system managed directly by Starlink, officials added.

Frontier is majority owned by private equity firm Indigo Partners, and the other airlines in Indigo’s portfolio – specifically Wizz Air, Volaris, JetSmart, and Cebu Pacific – are also getting connected to Starlink. Across the five brands, Starlink antennas will be installed on over 1,000 aircraft.

“We’re continuing to invest in the products and services that matter most to our customers,” Frontier CEO Jimmy Dempsey said in a news release. “Starlink transforms the onboard experience, giving customers the flexibility to work, stream, browse, and stay connected throughout their journey… It’s another example of how we’re evolving the travel experience while staying true to our commitment to offering the lowest fares.”

Several major U.S. carriers, including United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest, are in the process of installing and rolling out Starlink Wi-Fi on their aircraft. Delta has opted for Starlink competitor Amazon Leo.

Zach Vasile

United Introduces Economy Plus Row With Open Middle Seats

The layout will give customers more room to stretch out, the carrier said.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 10:19 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A rendering of United's A321XLR. (Credit: Airbus)

United is rolling out a new seating arrangement designed to give some Economy Plus customers more elbow room.

The carrier announced Tuesday that a single row of Economy Plus on its new Airbus A321XLRs will have open middle seats, with a shared table positioned across the empty seats. The new feature will give passengers more room to stretch out, and a convenient place to sit small personal items, United officials said.

The middle seat table is permanently fixed, with a soft, leather-like covering and two indentations for cups.

United’s extra-room Economy Plus row on the A321XLR. (Photo: United Airlines)

“We’re investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin,” Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a news release.

Tickets for seats in the extra-room rows are expected to become available for purchase later this year.

United took delivery of its first A321XLR in June. The type is expected to enter domestic service with the airline this fall, officials said, with international flights planned for early 2027.

Zach Vasile

Florida Airport Seeks Airline Service After 17-Year Gap

County officials are looking to partner with one of the Big Three.

Zach Vasile

Monday, July 13, 2026 at 04:45 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An American Eagle E175. (Photo: Shutterstock | Ryken Papy)

A Florida Keys airport that has not had commercial air service for almost 20 years is looking to restart regular scheduled flights.

In May, Monroe County applied for a grant of $1 million through the Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program for Florida Keys Marathon Airport. The money would make up part of a roughly $2.5 million minimum revenue guarantee for an airline that opts to start service at Marathon.

The airport is located along the Overseas Highway, in the Middle Keys.

Revenue guarantees are often used by small or expanding airports to help reduce the financial risk for potential partner airlines. In most cases, the airport covers the difference if ticket sales for a specific route or routes fall short of an agreed target.

According to Monroe County officials, Marathon has had no commercial service since Cape Air ended operations there in 2009. The last major airline to serve the airport was Delta, which pulled out in 2007.

The county is looking to partner with United, Delta, or American, and envisions different routes for each.

For United, it would make the most sense to link Marathon with Washington Dulles, the county said in its SCASD application, because the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore region is the third-largest source of travelers by air to the Florida Keys. For Delta, Atlanta would be the logical choice due to the size of the airline’s operation at Hartsfield-Jackson, and because Atlanta was a top market for Marathon when the airline provided service in the 2000s. American, meanwhile, would likely use Miami to funnel travelers from markets where the Keys are in high demand, including Boston, New York, Chicago, and D.C.

Monroe County disclosed that it has already begun discussions about air service with American. The county included a letter of support from Jason Reisinger, managing director of global network planning at American, in its application to the DOT.

“As you know, air service development is important for the economic health of a region and is critical to connecting a community to the world,” Reisinger wrote. “The region surrounding Marathon has a goal of initiating its first air service in almost two decades with flights to American’s Miami hub. Marathon’s approach to initiating air service fits well with American’s network, given Miami is one of the largest hubs in our network.”

While noting that new flights are not guaranteed even if the grant money comes through, Reisinger said the funding could “significantly bolster the case for the proposed service.” He said American will continue discussions with Marathon.

If the community is unable to secure flights to a major hub, officials said, other destinations could be considered. Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Ohio, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Florida, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee, among other cities, were mentioned as alternatives.

The remaining $1.5 million of Marathon’s minimum revenue guarantee is being provided by community and business organizations, including the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and Visit Florida.

Monroe County said the airport’s terminal could be made ready for commercial flights by early 2027.

Zach Vasile