Sun Country expanding route map
Eagan-based Sun Country Airlines is adding nonstop seasonal service from the Twin Cities to two destinations — New Orleans and Santa Barbara.
The New Orleans flights will be offered from Sept. 6 to Dec. 16. Initially, there will be one weekly flight each way. But starting Sept. 24, there will be two round-trip flights a week.
Between the Twin Cities and Santa Barbara, there will be two round-trip flights a week, from Aug. 16 to Dec. 9.
Sun Country is offering introductory fares as low as $89 one-way to New Orleans and $109 one-way to Santa Barbara.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
The Santa Barbara airport says it is the busiest on the California coast between Los Angeles and San Jose, serving more than 750,000 passengers annually.
Sun Country announced the added service and promotional fares about two weeks after taking a PR pummelling for stranding some 250 passengers in Mexico. The airline blamed a Twin Cities blizzard that forced flight cancellations and the end of seasonal service to two destinations in Mexico.
Within days the airline said it would reimburse customers for the cost of return trips.
Sun Country carried 2.4 million Twin Cities passengers last year. Only Delta Air Lines, along with its regional partners, carried more travelers — about 26 million.