This Classic Minnesota Name Brand Could Now Vanish Entirely

It’s been a constant at Minnesota airports for years, quietly carrying millions of travelers across the country. Now, questions are swirling about whether that familiar airline is nearing its final departure.

Minnesota’s Hometown Airline Faces a Major Change

You might have heard the news about Sun Country Airlines and a proposed merger with fellow low-cost carrier, Allegiant Air Lines. According to a release from Sun Country:

On January 11, 2026, Sun Country announced it is combining with Allegiant to create a leading, more competitive leisure-focused U.S. airline. Customers can continue to book and fly with Sun Country as usual and all existing rewards will continue to be honored.

Sun Country is truly Minnesota's own airline. We sometimes claim Delta Air Lines as a Minnesota airline, seeing its hub at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is the second-largest in the country. But when it comes to airlines actually headquartered here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, that award would have to go to Sun Country Airlines.

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Sun Country has been a household name here in the North Star State for quite a while. Industry site, Simple Flying, notes that Sun Country was founded 44 years ago, back in 1982, and started offering flights the next year, in 1983. Many of those first flights were from the Twin Cities to Las Vegas, before Vegas was the huge tourist mecca it is today.

SEE ALSO: Biggest Airline in MN Now Most On-Time in the U.S. Again

What the Merger Means for Minnesota Travelers

So the news that Sun Country is combining with Allegiant Air appears to be good news, right? Sun Country's release goes on to highlight three new advantages this merger will give Minnesota travelers:

• More choice of nonstop flights across both airlines’ networks with service to nearly 175 cities with more than 650 routes across the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Canada and the Caribbean.
• Access to more modern aircraft, including Allegiant’s fleet of next-generation 737s.
• Increased service from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to small and mid-sized cities where Allegiant has a presence.

But hidden deep in that release is the fact that while those advantages may in fact be true, one big change is coming: the Sun Country name and brand will be going away, as its assets will eventually be rolled under the Allegiant umbrella and rebranded as Allegiant Air.

The Future of Minnesota’s Airline Identity

Even though the classic Minnesota-born Sun Country name might be going away, Allegiant says it will still maintain a significant presence here in Minnesota, calling it and MSP an 'Important Base of Operations and Key Anchor City.'

However, the new, larger Allegiant Air will continue to be headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada-- not Minnesota. And Kyle Potter from Thifty Traveler noted another concern about the deal, worth over $1.5 billion, on his X page, as well:

The deal isn't final yet; it still needs approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. And in the meantime, both Allegiant and Sun Country said there would be no immediate changes to upcoming Sun Country tickets, schedules, or its onboard experience.