Allegiant Sun – Allegiant Air’s president says the $1.5 billion Sun Country deal closed May 13 and that the two airlines will operate under their current brands while they integrate over the next 12 to 18 months—aiming to grow capacity in Minneapolis–St. Paul, fold loyalty pr
On May 13, Allegiant Air closed its $1.5 billion merger with Sun Country Airlines—then the work started immediately for a new kind of leisure airline.
Robert Neal. president of Allegiant. says the combined carrier is already shaping up into a national leisure operator with a nearly 3% share of U.S. domestic seats. The percentage may sound modest, but it includes strong footholds at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and across airports in Florida. with schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showing MSP as especially important to the combined plan.
“Immediately. customers can now find flight options for both carriers on each of the Allegiant and Sun Country websites. ” Neal said in an interview. Over time. his goal is for the airlines to move toward becoming one Allegiant brand. with capacity and service expanding into the Minneapolis–St. Paul market.
For now, the transition is being kept practical. Neal said Allegiant will fly Allegiant flights and Sun Country will fly Sun Country flights while the carriers slowly integrate over the next 12 to 18 months.
The merger also brings a key change on the passenger side: both loyalty programs are ultimately headed for the same destination, even if the timing and mechanics are still being negotiated.
Neal said the Allegiant Allways Rewards and Sun Country Rewards programs will merge “eventually. ” and that the questions are really “When?” and “How?” First on the list is negotiating a new co-branded credit card deal with the banks that currently issue each program’s card—Bank of America for Allegiant and Synchrony Bank for Sun Country.
Neal described the vision as one larger loyalty program that gives customers “more opportunities to earn and burn” and “more access to more destinations.” He said what makes sense is to bring Sun Country Rewards members into Allways Rewards rather than build an entirely new program. pointing to Alaska Airlines’ 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines and the way it created Atmos Rewards.
The biggest operational bet is tied to MSP.
Neal said the Sun Country network is fundamentally about MSP. After Delta Air Lines, Sun Country has long held the No. 2 position at the airport, and Cirium schedule data shows the merger makes MSP Allegiant’s largest base by any metric. Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) is second by a good margin.
Allegiant says it plans to expand on Sun Country’s existing MSP network with more flights to leisure destinations. Neal explained that Sun Country’s pattern at MSP creates space to grow: in the morning. nearly all planes tied to the MSP base depart. and the gates sit empty for a few hours before aircraft return.
That timing, he said, creates “a natural opportunity to fill in some of that capacity with aircraft originating at Allegiant bases around the country.”
Potential additions could include new service to MSP from places such as SFB, Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) near Phoenix, and Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) in Florida.
Behind that expansion plan is a fleet strategy built around the Boeing 737 MAX.
Neal said the key to Allegiant’s growth after the merger is the 737 MAX. Allegiant flew 17 of the 190-seat 737-8200 model at the end of March. The airline has 10 more due in 2026 and another 33 by the end of 2028, according to its latest fleet plan.
Sun Country flies 72 737s. including 20 freighters under contract for Amazon. according to its latest fleet plan. and it has no outstanding aircraft orders. Neal said both carriers can benefit from the economics of the 737 MAX. especially in the kind of “high fuel” environment the industry is facing.
For readers trying to connect the dots to routes, Cirium schedules show Allegiant’s 737-8200s operate from several bases: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tennessee, SFB, and St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE) in Florida.
Even as Allegiant maps growth, it is also moving carefully around market shifts left behind by Spirit Airlines.
Allegiant plans to fill some of the market void left by Spirit’s collapse on May 2 with a conservative approach. Earlier in May. the discounter announced four new routes from FLL to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Omaha Eppley Airfield (OMA). and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).
Neal acknowledged that other carriers—including Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways—are moving more aggressively with dozens of new routes and flights. Still, he said there was interest in the Fort Lauderdale market for Allegiant even before Spirit disappeared.
He also pointed to performance at Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), where Allegiant landed in December. Breeze Airways, he added, has been expanding ACY too, adding four new routes since Spirit’s collapse.
When asked whether Allegiant was considering expanding in Spirit’s former base at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Neal said nothing immediately. He framed it as a possibility based on what Sun Country has achieved in Minneapolis.
“There’s an opportunity for something like what Sun Country has in Minneapolis in a place like Detroit,” he said.
Cirium schedules show Allegiant does not currently serve DTW, while Sun Country serves it twice weekly from MSP.
For travelers, there’s one thing Neal said they don’t have to worry about: another Spirit. Both Allegiant and Sun Country reported profits in the first quarter, and while both are managing the same high fuel prices, they carry far less debt than the defunct peer.
Neal ended on a bullish note about demand through the summer.
“The demand environment, particularly throughout the summer, has remained really, really strong,” he said.
Allegiant Sun Country merger MSP Minneapolis-St. Paul loyalty program Allways Rewards Sun Country Rewards 737 MAX Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale travel news
So they merged but still keeping the same names… okay.
If they’re targeting MSP growth then prices are about to go up, watch. They always say “more options” but it’s never for the people.
Wait I thought Sun Country already owned Allegiant or something? Like I saw a TikTok about it. But now it’s $1.5 billion and they say integrate 12 to 18 months… so basically we pay now and they “figure it out” later?
MSP is such a big airport, of course they want it. I flew Allegiant once and it was fine, but loyalty points stuff always gets weird during mergers. Also 3% domestic seats doesn’t sound like a lot, but somehow it’s still enough to mess with flight schedules.