Sun Country Airlines

Sun Country Pilots Prepare for a Pivotal 2026

For Sun Country Airlines pilots, 2025 was a year of major strategic milestones—both at the bargaining table and operationally.

Although the pilot group’s Master Executive Council (MEC) had the option to open Section 6 negotiations as early as June, pilot leaders chose to wait until late August to ensure that the group entered bargaining in the strongest possible position. With the pilot group already frustrated due to the company’s ongoing scheduling issues, the MEC believed it could build support by announcing an early opening while pilot sentiment was already heightened.

With the contract amendable in December 2025, the MEC devoted the year to preparation, education, and engagement, particularly for the many pilots hired since the last agreement was signed in 2021. During the current round of bargaining, the challenge for the MEC is balancing the company’s evolving operational needs with the contract cornerstones pilots value most: compensation, retirement and benefits, quality of life, and job security.

At the same time, the MEC itself is evolving, utilizing new communication tools, including a pilot-focused podcast and expanded social media outreach, to improve engagement and ensure that all pilots remain informed and involved.

Operationally, Sun Country is a new breed of hybrid low-cost carrier, balancing scheduled passenger service, cargo operations, and a strong charter business. The company frequently emphasizes how its flexible business model is uncommon in the U.S. market. As additional B-737 freighters enter the fleet, cargo flying for Amazon Air is expanding rapidly and becoming an increasingly important profit center for the airline.

After an interest arbitration in October 2025, management secured the ability to open its first pilot domicile outside of Minneapolis, Minn.—an outcome they had sought for years. As a result, a new domicile opened in January 2026 at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, marking a significant shift in how flying will be distributed across the network.

Also in January, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air announced that it was buying Sun Country for $1.4 billion. In the announcement, the two companies promised a “smooth and transparent integration process” for the merged airline’s unionized employees, including Allegiant’s 1,400 Teamster-represented pilots. If the federal government approves the merger, a top priority for the Sun Country MEC in 2026 will be working with Allegiant’s Teamster leaders to combine the two pilot groups and negotiate a joint contract.