- Allegiant Travel Company completed its acquisition of Sun Country Airlines on May 13, 2026.
- The merger creates a leisure-focused giant serving 22 million annual customers across 175 cities.
- Management expects $140 million in synergies within three years while maintaining current flight operations.
(UNITED STATES) – Allegiant Travel Company completed its acquisition of Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Inc. on May 13, 2026, combining two budget carriers into a leisure-focused U.S. airline that serves approximately 22 million annual customers across nearly 175 cities.
The combined company now operates more than 650 routes with a combined fleet of 195 aircraft, giving Allegiant a broader reach in vacation travel and adding Sun Country Airlines’ charter and cargo businesses to its existing scheduled network.
Allegiant said the deal is expected to generate approximately $140 million in annual synergies within three years after closing and integration. The company also said the transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share in the first full year after closing.
Gregory C. Anderson, chief executive officer of Allegiant, called the transaction a turning point for the carrier’s strategy. “Today marks a defining moment in Allegiant’s history as we officially join forces with Sun Country to create the leading leisure-focused airline in the United States.”
The acquisition joins businesses that had overlapping appeal in low-cost leisure flying but different operating mixes. Allegiant brings its scheduled leisure network, while Sun Country contributes scheduled service, charter operations, and a cargo business that includes Amazon Prime Air flying.
Sun Country also adds charter contracts linked to casinos, Major League Soccer, collegiate sports teams, and the Department of Defense. Those operations give the combined company revenue streams outside standard passenger ticket sales.
At closing, the airline group had 195 aircraft in service, with 30 aircraft on order and 80 additional options. Its route map spans the U.S., Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean.
That network breadth pushes the combined company beyond a domestic point-to-point leisure carrier. It now has a footprint that reaches resort markets, seasonal destinations, charter demand, and contract cargo flying under one corporate parent.
The transaction moved toward completion after the companies received shareholder approvals and required regulatory clearances. They had announced early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period on March 16, 2026.
Customer operations, for now, remain separate at the ticket level. Sun Country tickets remain valid only on Sun Country flights, and Allegiant tickets remain valid only on Allegiant flights.
Existing Sun Country rewards are being honored. Customers can continue booking and flying with Sun Country as usual, even after the closing of the acquisition.
That arrangement keeps the immediate travel experience largely unchanged while the companies integrate behind the scenes. Travelers booking Sun Country Airlines service will still fly on Sun Country flights, and Allegiant passengers will continue to use Allegiant itineraries under the current rules.
The scale of the new airline comes from more than aircraft and routes. Allegiant gains a larger scheduled leisure platform while also taking in Sun Country’s cargo and charter segments, businesses that differ from the pure vacation model often associated with ultra-low-cost flying.
Sun Country’s Amazon Prime Air cargo flying adds a contracted logistics business to the portfolio. Its charter flying for sports teams, casino clients, and government work gives the combined company exposure to lines of business that can perform differently from regular passenger demand.
Within the U.S. airline industry, the deal creates a single operator built around leisure demand at a size far beyond what either company offered alone. Nearly 175 cities, more than 650 routes, and a fleet of 195 aircraft place the merged carrier among the larger specialists in discount vacation travel.
Allegiant’s projection of approximately $140 million in annual synergies within three years sets a financial benchmark for the integration. The first test comes sooner: whether the deal delivers the earnings per share lift Allegiant expects in the first full year, while keeping Sun Country’s flights, rewards, charter contracts, and cargo operations running under the new ownership.
