Sun Country Posts a Monster First Quarter

It's not the biggest airline, but Sun Country's CEO gives thoughtful earnings call answers. Learn what he had to say about the current demand environment and the airline's growth plans.

Dear readers,

As many competitors floundered in the first quarter, Sun Country produced an operating margin of 19 percent with net income of $38.3 million. If you're a regular reader, you should not be surprised, since the reason for Sun Country’s success is right there in the name. This airline takes people to the sun, mainly from chilly and snowy Minneapolis, where market leader Delta has not restored all of its pre-pandemic capacity. And in winter and early spring, those freezing masses really want to get away.

Sun Country is tiny, with only 42 aircraft in passenger service, but I like its earnings calls more than most because CEO Jude Bricker earnestly and enthusiastically answers each question, offering incisive nuggets not only about his airline, but also on industry trends. On Friday’s call, we learned about new geographical pockets of demand, the dynamics of the used aircraft market, Sun Country’s schedule philosophy, and the uniqueness of the Minnesota market, along with other topics.

Here are some highlights: