Skift Take
Sun Country is betting its unusual model will help it endure the crisis better than other airlines. But it's no sure thing. The airline faces many of the same problems as other carriers.
As a hedge to its passenger business, Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines announced an agreement in December to fly 10 dedicated cargo aircraft for Amazon.
With cargo demand soaring, that's looking like an auspicious decision. Sun Country, an ultra-low-cost-carrier, expects to fly its first airplane for Amazon Thursday, with nine more coming by mid-summer, the airline's CEO, Jude Bricker, said in an interview.
Operating freighters is a serious undertaking. Unlike larger U.S. airlines, some of which now fly freight in passenger airplanes by putting cargo in the belly, on seats and in overhead bins, Sun Country is operating dedicated cargo jets. These were converted in China at considerable expense, and look more like a Fedex airplane than a typical passenger jet.
"It is a substantial undertaking to get DOT approval to fly main deck cargo," Bricker said. "It is a good thing to have a segment of our business doing well financially these days."
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