Sun Country Slashes Minneapolis Flights 40% as Pilots Defect to Delta

Sun Country Airlines has reduced its September flight operations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by nearly 40% compared to last year, with the carrier's parent company attributing the cuts primarily to pilot departures for Delta Air Lines.

According to aviation analytics data, the carrier is scheduled to operate 344 flights from the Minnesota airport this September, offering 63,866 seats—representing year-over-year declines of 39.3% in flights and 39.5% in capacity compared to September 2025's 567 flights and 105,477 seats. Available seat miles have declined 37.3% over the same period.

Allegiant Air CEO Greg Anderson addressed the capacity reductions during the company's second-quarter earnings call following its acquisition of Sun Country. While Anderson did not explicitly name Delta, he referred to departing pilots joining "the largest full-service carrier" at Minneapolis-St. Paul, a description that applies only to the Atlanta-based carrier. Delta is scheduled to operate 9,557 flights from the airport this September, a 0.7% increase over the previous year.

Anderson confirmed that pilot attrition at Minneapolis has been the driving force behind the schedule cuts, noting that many pilots "want to work for a full-service carrier." He indicated that Delta has reportedly increased hiring at the Minnesota hub by "maybe double or more," creating opportunities for Sun Country's junior pilots, many of whom had joined the carrier only in recent years.

"Over the past few months, Sun Country has experienced elevated pilot attrition, concentrated among its junior MSP pilots and largely driven by increased hiring at the largest carrier in the Twin Cities," Anderson stated during the earnings call.

The capacity reductions underscore the challenges facing low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers in retaining pilots when legacy carriers ramp up recruitment efforts, particularly at hub airports where both types of operators maintain significant presence.