US low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines has launched its first transatlantic service - an unusual Boeing 737-800 route connecting Minneapolis with London Stansted.
Flight SY47 departed Sun Country's Minneapolis base for London Stansted at 16:32 this afternoon local time. The flight, which is operating as a seasonal scheduled service, is due to land at Stansted at 8:10 local time tomorrow following a brief fuel stop in Gander.
The flight is made possible after Sun Country secured extended twin operations (ETOPS) certification from the FAA at the end of last year, opening up the possibility of flights to Europe and Hawaii. Sun Country so far has only committed to operating one transatlantic flight per week for the summer season but director of financial planning and analysis Rex Boutelle says the carrier will consider a more extensive transatlantic schedule depending on the outcome of the Stansted trial.
"This is a toe in the water. We have 10 trips planned for this summer and we'll see how it goes," Boutelle says.
Sun Country began selling the 10 round-trip flights on its website in March. Boutelle acknowledges bookings for the first few weeks of the service are "low" but overall he says demand is meeting the carrier's projections.
"It's about what is expected. We're still seeing bookings coming in," Boutelle told Flightglobal after speaking at the 4 June Low-Cost Airlines World Americas conference in Miami. "We're still waiting to see how it goes."
The flight is historic and unusual on many fronts.
Not only does it mark Sun Country's debut in the competitive North Atlantic market, it marks the return of US service for Stansted. At one point in 2007 Stansted had three US carriers - American Airlines and all-premium operators Eos and Maxjet. But Maxjet ceased operations at the end of 2007, Eos shut down in April 2008 and American dropped its short-lived New York JFK-Stansted route in mid 2008.
It also marks the first time an airline has used 737s on scheduled transatlantic services since the summer of 2007, when Scottish low-cost carrier Flyglobespan operated a 737-700 to Boston from Glasgow and Knock. Air Canada, however, is using a similarly sized Airbus A319 this summer to London Heathrow from St. John's.
Sun Country also marks the return of low-cost service between the US and Europe. Flyglobespan ceased operations late last year and Zoom Airlines - which at one point operated low-cost long-haul services from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale, New York JFK and San Diego - ceased operations in 2008.
Sun Country currently operates a mix of scheduled and charter services with a fleet of nine 737-700/800s. The carrier also typically brings in additional aircraft for its peak season, which runs from January to April. Boutelle says this year Sun Country bolstered its fleet for four months by dry-leasing two 737-800s from Dutch carrier Transavia.
Boutelle says Sun Country for now has no plans to expand its fleet. "We're always looking for opportunities but until we come out of bankruptcy protection we're sitting tight," he says.
Sun Country has been operating under bankruptcy protection since October 2008. "We filed our reorganisation plan and hope to be out this summer," Boutelle says.
To avoid stranding the crew in London for a week, Sun Country is keeping its 737-800 at Stansted for 28 hours before operating the return flight to Minneapolis. Sun Country's first westbound transatlantic flight is scheduled to depart Stansted on 13 June at noon local time and land at Minneapolis at 16:55 local time following a fuel stop in Gander.
Sun Country has rolled out a new partnership with digEcor to offer portable in-flight entertainment units on the new transatlantic flights. The digEplayer XT system will be available for $10 in coach class but will be complimentary for first class passengers. Boutelle says Sun Country's 737s are configured with 12 first class seats.
"Our first class sales are modest but we get a lot of upgrade traffic and we get a decent amount for that upgrade," Boutelle says.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
