In the Know: Sun Country Airlines adding more Southwest Florida flights and Punta Gorda airport destination
Phil Fernandez
After becoming publicly traded last month, a rapidly rising airline company is focusing on Southwest Florida as one of its targeted areas for growth.
Already home to 46 routes through Allegiant Air, Punta Gorda Airport picked up Sun Country Airlines as a customer on Tuesday.
"We look forward to establishing a strong partnership and new opportunities for growth,” said Punta Gorda Airport CEO James W. Parish.
Sun Country also added four more directs to Southwest Florida International Airport and selected St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport as a landing spot.
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The move is part of the day's larger expansion, with nine new destinations and 18 fresh nonstop routes.
A third of those routes connect through the Gulf Coast, and many involve its home base of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The scheduled start dates largely fall during the traditional snowbird season later this year, usually operating twice weekly.
The upcoming Fort Myers trips include a pair in Minnesota, Duluth and Rochester; and two in Wisconsin, Green Bay and Milwaukee, where Southwest Airlines currently flies.
Sun Country's now offering service to five locations in Southwest Florida, the other two being Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport and Tampa International Airport.
With flights to northern points like the Gopher State, St. Louis and Madison, Wisconsin, Fort Myers has been one of its primary cities, its third largest in 2020 in terms of passengers, behind Minneapolis and Las Vegas, according to federal data.
Other locales haven't done as well. It dropped RSW to Puerto Rico and Cancun, Mexico, after launching those with much fanfare.
Debuting in 1983 but only until recently seeing a significant surge in fliers, it had already widened its reach with nine other stops earlier this year. With Tuesday’s expansion, Sun Country Airlines operates 93 routes across 69 airports in the United States, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean.
The airline is part of a circuit of low-cost, no-frills carriers including competitors like Allegiant, Spirit and Southwest Airlines that have become increasingly dominant in the industry.
It's betting on an upswing in travel, coming off a slow 2020 due to the pandemic.
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“We know there is pent-up demand for convenient, affordable travel," Sun Country Airlines Chief Revenue Officer Grant Whitney said. “With more and more people excited to resume traveling, we’re excited to be able to offer them another option to get away this winter to enjoy the Sunshine State.”
The fares are as low as $79 one way, Whitney said.
The company became public last month on Nasdaq, trading under SNCY. It plans its first quarterly report next week.
Florida flying
Here are the newest flights, with inaugural dates:
From Southwest Florida International Airport: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (Dec. 15); Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (Dec. 16); Duluth International Airport (Dec. 17); Rochester International Airport (Feb. 3).
From Punta Gorda Airport: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (Dec. 10).
From St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (Nov. 25).
Its newest airports this year
Punta Gorda Airport (PGD); St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE); Rochester International Airport (RST); Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB); Duluth International Airport (DLH); Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) in Grand Cayman; Providenciales International Airport (PLS) in Turks and Caicos; Indianapolis International Airport (IND); Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG); Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU); George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH); Bradley International Airport (BDL); John Wayne Airport (SNA) Glacier Park International Airport (FCA); Fairbanks International Airport (FAI); Jackson Hole Airport (JAC).
Other flights added Tuesday
New flights not involving Florida:
From Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (Nov. 24); Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (Dec. 16); Owen Roberts International Airport (Dec. 18); Providenciales International Airport (Dec. 18).
From Duluth International Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Dec. 17).
From Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Dec. 17).
From Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (Aug. 26); Cancun International Airport (Dec. 18); McCarran International Airport (Aug. 26); Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Dec. 16).
From Rochester International Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Feb. 4).
Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.