- Allegiant Travel Company completed its $1.5 billion acquisition of Sun Country Airlines on May 13, 2026.
- Both airlines will operate under separate certificates for approximately 14 months pending FAA approval for integration.
- The merger creates a leisure giant with 195 aircraft serving 175 cities across 650 different routes.
(UNITED STATES) — Allegiant Travel Company completed its acquisition of Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Inc. on May 13, 2026, closing a deal that combines the two carriers under common ownership while they continue to fly separately pending a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The U.S. Department of Transportation granted approval on April 15, 2026 through a joint interim exemption, allowing the airlines to keep operating separately until the FAA issues that single operating certificate. The companies expect the certificate within 14 months of the closing.
Shareholders of both companies approved the transaction at meetings on May 8, 2026. Allegiant announced the purchase on January 11, 2026 as a cash-and-stock transaction that valued Sun Country at $1.5 billion, including $0.4 billion in net debt.
Under the terms, Sun Country shareholders received $4.10 in cash plus 0.1557 Allegiant shares for each Sun Country share. The implied value was $18.89 per Sun Country share, a 19.8% premium over the January 9 closing price of $15.77.
Sun Country common stock ceased trading on Nasdaq on May 13, and delisting and Securities and Exchange Commission deregistration are set to follow. Allegiant continues to trade under the symbol ALGT.
The combined airline group now spans nearly 175 cities across more than 650 routes, using a fleet of 195 aircraft and carrying approximately 22 million customers annually. That footprint includes 18 international destinations across Mexico, Central America, Canada and the Caribbean.
Route count illustrates how the merger reshapes the map. Allegiant contributes 551 routes and Sun Country adds 105, giving the combined company a larger network in leisure travel and a broader reach from small and midsized markets to established vacation destinations.
Even after the closing, travelers will not see an immediate operational change. The airlines said brands, routes, schedules, reservations and loyalty programs remain separate, with Allegiant Allways Rewards and Sun Country Rewards continuing as they operate today.
Booking channels also remain intact. Customers can still use allegiant.com or suncountry.com, while Minneapolis-St. Paul remains a key hub alongside Allegiant’s Las Vegas headquarters.
That arrangement is temporary. Once the FAA grants the single operating certificate, Allegiant plans full integration under the Allegiant name, and the Sun Country brand will be phased out over time.
Gregory C. Anderson, Allegiant chief executive officer, will lead the combined company as CEO, and Robert Neal will serve as president and chief financial officer. Allegiant also added three new board members, Jude Bricker, Jennifer Vogel and Thomas C. Kennedy, while Sun Country’s board resigned after the closing.
Bricker, the former Sun Country chief executive officer, now becomes special advisor to the CEO. Maurice J. Gallagher, founder and board chairman, called the completed transaction a major achievement.
Anderson framed the deal as a turning point for the company’s scale and identity in the discount travel market. 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. With a combined fleet of 195 aircraft serving nearly 175 cities, we are expanding access to affordable, reliable, and convenient travel,
he said.
The companies project $140 million in annual synergies within 3 years, driven by scale efficiencies, fleet optimization, procurement and an expanded network. Allegiant said the acquisition will be accretive to earnings per share in the first full year after closing.
The transaction also triggered a $80.4 million payout under a Tax Receivable Agreement. That cost sits alongside the expected financial gains that Allegiant says will come from running a larger airline with a broader operating mix.
Part of that mix comes from Sun Country businesses that Allegiant did not previously emphasize to the same extent. Sun Country brings cargo flying, including work such as Amazon operations, and charter service for sports teams, casinos and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Those revenue streams broaden Allegiant’s base beyond its established focus on leisure routes in smaller and midsized markets. The result is a company that combines scheduled passenger flying with cargo and charter operations under one corporate owner while waiting for the single operating certificate that would allow a tighter operational merger.
The deal also strengthens the company’s claim to a larger place in the U.S. airline market. Allegiant said the merger positions the combined carrier as a major low-cost and leisure player and potentially the eighth largest by routes and cities served, though updated Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation data will determine any formal ranking after integration.
That market position rests less on a single airport fortress than on a dispersed network. Minneapolis-St. Paul gives the combined company a stronger Upper Midwest presence, while Las Vegas remains central to Allegiant’s existing model and corporate structure.
For now, the legal and operational structure remains split even though ownership has changed. Allegiant Travel Company owns both airlines, but Sun Country Airlines and Allegiant continue to operate independently until federal regulators approve the final step under a single operating certificate.
The approach allows the company to preserve current schedules and commercial systems while it works through the integration process. It also means the visible signs of the merger, from branding to route planning to loyalty alignment, will arrive later rather than at the moment of closing.
That delay does not lessen the size of the transaction. With Sun Country folded into Allegiant Travel Company, the carrier group now pairs a larger national route network with added charter and cargo business, a new board lineup and a plan to bring both airlines onto one operating platform within 14 months.
