An Airline Merger Just Dropped—and WA & OR Flyers Should Pay Attention

Allegiant Airlines is buying Sun Country Airlines in a recent customer email and website announcement. Inquiring minds (like mine) want to know: Will this airline merger unlock new routes for Washington and Oregon passengers?

Allegiant–Sun Country Deal Could Change How WA Flies

Allegiant Airlines CEO, Greg Anderson, is already sending out emails to existing customers about the news, and that's initially how I found out about the deal. The company says their transaction to purchase Sun Country Airlines (a deal reportedly worth 1 billion dollars) should close in the near future.

How Will The Allegiant-Sun Country Merger Affect Current and Future Flyers

If you already have tickets to fly on Sun Country, don't worry. Mr. Anderson says nothing will change in the immediate future, so nothing will change if you have previously paid for an upcoming flight.

Sun Country presently flies to 88 destinations, including Portland, Oregon and Washington State airports in Spokane and Seattle. Allegiant currently has flights out of Bellingham, Spokane, Pasco, and Portland. We have yet to see if the airlines merger will bring more destinations for us to fly to from these particular airports--and others.

Why Smaller WA Airports Could Be the Quiet Winners Here

I've got my fingers crossed that Sun Country will bring some flights to the Yakima Airport! A few years back, Now that we've got a new airport director installed there, perhaps he can bring more airlines with better destinations than just Seattle.

Sun Country used to offer seasonal flights from YKM to Laughlin, Nevada, and I even got to fly there once for a New Years celebration. That trip was a hoot. 

I've also driven down to the Pasco airport to hop on an Allegiant Airlines flight to Las Vegas, and I was so proud of myself for finding such a great deal on the price of tickets. That's one reason why I really like Allegiant! I hope they don't raise the rates with this new airline merger!

Read More: Nonstop Flights To Portland Return To Tri-Cities Airport

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Here's a fun customer review of Sun Country from beckography on TikTok:

@beckographySun Country Airlines review 🇺🇸♬ original sound - beckography ✈️🚊