Boeing 737-800 Sun Country Airlines
Registration: N813SY Type: 737-8Q8 Engines: 2 × CFMI CFM56-7B26 Serial Number: 28237 First flight: Jan 29, 2001
Sun Country Airlines was established in July 1982 by a group of former Braniff International Airways employees, which ceased operations in May of that year. Among its founders were pilots and flight attendants who, after losing their jobs following Braniff’s collapse, aimed to create a new airline focused on leisure charter services. The initiative was led by Ken Sundmark, who, alongside Bob Daniels, co-founder of Mainline Travel Inc., proposed the idea of a charter carrier. Captain Jim Olsen played a key role in the founding, becoming the first president and CEO of the airline, as well as its chief pilot. His wife, Joan Smith-Olsen, took on the roles of senior flight attendant and head of flight operations, significantly contributing to the development of the company’s operational structure. Sun Country’s first flight took place on January 20, 1983, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Las Vegas, Nevada, using a leased Boeing 727-200. The initial workforce consisted of just 36 employees: 16 pilots, 16 flight attendants, three mechanics, and one office worker.
In the 1990s, Sun Country began transitioning from solely charter services to scheduled flights, launching regular services from Minneapolis to major U.S. cities in 1995. In 1999, the airline was acquired by a Minnesota-based investment group led by William La Macchia Sr., after which it officially became a scheduled carrier, competing with Northwest Airlines. This period saw the expansion of its route network to include international destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.
As of March 2025, Sun Country’s fleet comprised 46 passenger and 15 cargo Boeing 737-800 aircraft, serving approximately 140 destinations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Sun Country Airlines occupies a unique niche in the U.S. aviation industry, balancing three business segments: scheduled passenger services (70% of revenue), charter flights (20%), and cargo operations (10%). This hybrid model enables efficient resource allocation, crew management, and aircraft utilization across segments, minimizing seasonal revenue fluctuations.
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