Flying from Portland to Nashville in a couple of months. Southwest used to have a nonstop, but now the only nonstop for that route seems to be Sun Country Airlines. I’ve heard of them, barely. They’re incredibly cheap (like, as low as $179 round trip, which is kind of insane). I understand they’re expanding into the western market more, and Portland may even become a hub for them.
Are they awful? Fine? I would have been fine with Southwest. What think y’all?
We’ve had a few threads on low budget airlines. In general, the experience is OK if nothing goes wrong. Yes, there are added fees for *everything * so make sure you read all the options and prepare accordingly.
The biggest problems are if you get bumped or if the flight is canceled. The budget airlines won’t do much for you, such as get you on another airline. They usually have 1 flight a day, and sometimes seem to cancel it for no apparent reason and you end up waiting 24-72 hours for another flight.
They’re best if you are travelling alone, and have some flexibility.
Yep, those damn budget airlines like American Airlines. Two years ago they cancelled our flight home from Saint Martin for no apparent reason that was ever shared with us. It was the only flight that day to the US from St Martin (Hurricane Irma ravaged the airport which is still being rebuilt).
American Airlines dragged their feet feeding us and arranging transportation and a room. They did arrange a flight the next day. I feel weird complaining about an additional day in paradise, but hey.
When I fly I look for the cheapest way to get from A to B. I accept that I’ll be miserable no matter which airline I choose, so I might as well spend as little as possible on the experience.
Don’t forget that with Sun Country you don’t get a free carry on either (only a personal item). So add $20 or whatever it is (x2 for round trip, so $40) just for a carry on.
And other fees… pay more at check in if you want to pick your seat, and, if i recall correctly, the heavier your checked bag, the more you pay for that (and i think their thresholds are lower than typical “major” airlines).
The moral of the story: Before you get wowed by that $179 price, make sure you’re taking into account all the other fees you’re going to end up paying.
I prefer non-stop wherever possible; maybe that’s because I’ve barely missed connecting flights multiple times before (plane still at gate; watched the @#$%& gate agent close the door when I was not the only one from the previous flight & the one that make it was a full-ride D1 track athlete, so fast sprinting between the planes) That $179 won’t really be $179. I don’t know that airline specifically, but some of them charge for any bag, including carry on & maybe even for a seat, not your preference, but a seat period (& you’re not allowed to stand); therefore, your $179 round trip is really more like (at least) a $279 round trip. When all fees are included, it may be the same, or more than a more mainstream airline like Southwest.
I used to fly them all the time – not for economy, but because you could get a first class seat (without all the extra fees) for less than many airlines charged for coach (as little as $125 added per leg). As with all good things, they’ve “changed for my convenience” their planes now to not have first class sections, and moved the remaining seats closer together except for a few paid upgrades. So I doubt I’ll ever fly them again. (Virgin/Alaska still have inexpensive first class on a few of their flights, so they may become my new choice).
From experience, there are varying levels of miserable. Flying from a remote island with limited flights is always going to be subject to trouble. But if you are in a major airport and there are other available flights, AA will get you on one (depending on the class of your ticket). The budget airlines will not, and you will have no recourse.
I’ll take your Pittsburgh and raise you Eugene, OR. We need to fly down to L.A. in about a month and I could only get a nonstop on the way down. On the way back, we’ll have another 2 1/2 layover at SFO, where they will probably start charging us rent, we’ve had to hang out there so much.
Of course, if I’d shopped more airlines I might have found something better–damn their frequent flyer/loyalty programs! Unfortunately those do work, just as the airline intended.
Bumping this thread four years later. @Briny_Deep , did you end up flying with Sun Country? Anybody else flown with them since this thread was active?
I am generally suspicious of “budget” airlines–have heard several not-very-nice stories, a couple of which are to be found in this thread. OTOH, Sun Country’s official charges for the route I’m planning to fly are about half the charges of the Uniteds and Deltas, so there’s room to absorb some extra fees, plus which they’re looking like the only nonstop, plus which the timing (flying out at least) is exactly what I’m looking for…
No, this thread spooked me off, but I’m easily spooked so don’t let that stop you. I just last week flew RT cross-country on American, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, and it was fine (for airport-and-airline-related values of “fine”).
I’d fly Sun Country without reservations (well, yes you probably should make reservations), because I live close to their base airport in Minneapolis. I last flew with them in summer of 2020; I loved the $70 RT fare from Minneapolis to Denver - thanks Covid! They’re actually a bit more convenient, since they have a separate terminal adjacent to long term parking. Plus it’s always a good idea to poke Delta in the eye when possible.
I will be heading for Minneapolis and renting a car, so the location of the LT parking lot probably isn’t all that germane! but thanks for the review/recommendation. This fare is not $70, but still pretty good…