In 1982, a group of pilots and flight attendants from the defunct Braniff International banded together to form their own airline with the help of businessmen in the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. This group named their venture Sun Country Airlines. They partnered with locally based MLT Vacations and exclusively operated charter flights, initially flying from Sioux Falls to Las Vegas.

Sun Country had 33 employees that acted as jacks-of-all-trades in the early days. Flight attendants prepared meals and stocked beverages while pilots updated manuals and assisted in catering. They were a tight-knit bunch who loved putting in the required time to help their company succeed. The fruits of their labor appeared in the first year, producing profits after only six weeks and on-time performance of 98%.

The next few years brought success and colorful stories to Sun Country. The airline took up residence in a hangar, flew to destinations like Oslo, Norway, became a member of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet and flew military charters to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Sun Country enjoyed record earnings of $9.7 million in 1991, and the airline doubled its fleet and workforce.

Sun Country experienced the ups and downs that accompany both growth and the airline industry over the next few years. On June 1, 1999 the airline became a scheduled carrier. Although passenger loads were good, the increased expenses that come with scheduled service were difficult to cover. Price wars hurt the airline, and by 2000 Sun Country had lost $62 million. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were yet another blow to the airline. On December 8, 2001, Sun Country announced it was ceasing scheduled operations and shut its doors completely a few days later.

Shortly thereafter, both national and Twin Cities-based investors banded together to form MN Airlines and purchased the Sun Country name and assets while the old Sun Country remained in bankruptcy court. After scheduled flights began in spring 2002, Sun Country began to recapture the hearts of Minnesotans. The airline began flying to core destinations such as Denver, Los Angeles and Orlando, and has continued to grow, adding destinations including Washington, D.C. and New York. Sun Country was also ranked as the third-best domestic airline in Travel+Leisure’s 2006 World’s Best Awards.

As Sun Country grew, additional capital was needed for expansion. Two Twin Cities firms, Petters Group Worldwide and Whitebox Advisors, joined together to acquire the airline. The acquisition was finalized on October 31, 2006 and has positive implications for the airline. Although expansion plans weren’t detailed, the new owners stated that they plan on adding aircraft to the Sun Country fleet to add depth to the current schedule in addition to new destinations.