Carrier stresses its importance to local business, competition

Sun Country Airlines, which flies out of Minneapolis/St. Paul to a number of destinations in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, said its executives and union representatives met last week with members of the Minnesota legislature and their staffs to “initiate discussions about financial relief due to record fuel prices, in the form of fee abatements, loans or other non-cash support initiatives.” The airline said its representatives stressed to the lawmakers that Sun Country – the second-largest carrier in the MSP market – spends $63 million annually with local vendors, employs 1,000 people and provides a competitive factor that keeps fares low. But this year, the company said, it expects its fuel costs to exceed its budget forecasts by 37 percent, or $33 million. “This is a situation that we have managed creatively so far with cutbacks, additional charter flying and capital infusions from our ownership, but we can’t do it indefinitely,” said CEO Stan Gadek. “We believe it is in the best interest of Minnesota to help us sustain operations through this turbulent time and maintain a locally owned and operated airline.”