Sun Country Airlines is cutting one-third of September flights at MSP Airport.
An internal memo revealing that with Amazon Air Cargo shipping becoming more of a priority, and an ongoing pilot shortage, one third of Sun Country's September flights have been canceled.
Thrifty Traveler's Kyle Potter says the unexpected shift has left major destinations like Chicago, Cancun, and San Francisco facing heavy cuts.
"That is a big problem for people, again, especially, for the people who are already booked," Potter explains. "And then there others as they've made these big reductions, where they're not pausing service altogether for the month, but they're reducing their frequencies and how often they fly there. The biggest one being Chicago O-Hare."
He says industry experts are predicting that rival carriers like Delta may capitalize on the move by raising their own fares, leaving travelers left to wait and see how this will impact the cost of tickets. MSP is one of the main hubs for Delta, and they dominate the Twin Cities markets carrying over 70% of passengers.
But Potter says this shortage was directly caused by a growing demand for packages.
"Sun Country has really indexed itself much more towards cargo operations than everyday passenger service," he explains. "They've made a lot of cutbacks, a lot of reduction to passenger service, in order to free up more cargo operations because that's where they believe they can make more money."
Potter says it's still too soon to tell how local ticket prices will be impacted but a lack of competition for Delta.
Prices have already been higher thanks to fuel price increases, mostly due to the war in Iran and issues with the Strait of Hormuz.
MSP air travelers also took another hit this week when Irish carrier Aer Lingus dropped their direct flights to Europe. They also cut flights from Denver and Las Vegas.
Aer Lingus had offered a cheaper alternative to getting across the Atlantic but they've slashed jobs and routes. And again leaves Delta with less competition, which could push prices further. Potter noted that there's another reason Minneapolis-St. Paul was cut, saying Delta "bullied Aer Lingus off the route."
The last Aer Lingus flights will leave the Twin Cities in October.
