Operationally, there will be no change in the near future until management secures a single operating certificate, which normally takes 12-24 months. 

In the short term, management has stated that long-term projects such as IT investments have been put on hold. After regulatory approval and a shareholder vote (anticipated in 6-9 months), the financial deal would close, and we expect to see our executive leadership begin to transition control to the Allegiant executive team.

On January 11, 2026, Sun Country Airlines and Allegiant Air announced a proposed merger of the two airlines through acquisition by the Allegiant Travel Company. This transaction is not final until regulatory approval is received, and the shareholders vote to approve or deny the transaction (anticipated in 6-9 months). 

At any time prior to the shareholder vote, the proposed merger may fail by either airline backing out of the transaction, regulatory denial, or another entity making an offer which the board could approve or deny.

Yes; Our Pilot Agreement will remain in full force and affect until such time as a new Joint CBA is negotiated, ratified by the pilots, an integrated seniority list is decided, and a single operator certificate is issued by the FAA.

For context, the Alaska / Hawaiian merger began 2.5 years ago, and both pilot groups are still on separate contracts and seniority lists as they continue working to complete the necessary steps to achieve a combined airline.

No; Our Pilot Agreement will remain in full force and effect until a new Joint CBA is signed. During this time, all LOAs, MOUs, Grievances, Arbitrations and other judgements will remain in full effect as well. 

During the transition to a new Joint CBA, it is in the interest of both parties to negotiate the closure of any remaining grievance liabilities.

For now, we know Jude Bricker and Eric Levenhagen are both on the “Joint Cross Functional Integration Planning Team.”

Your Sun Country MEC and ALPA.

As Sun Country Pilots and Allegiant Pilots are currently represented by separate Pilot Unions, the (2007) McCaskill-Bond Amendment to the Federal Aviation Act that relies upon the Allegany-Mohawk LLPs will be controlling. 

For more information on these regulations, please see the SCA MEC Resources page on the merger website.

First, the MEC coordinates resources and subject matter experts from ALPA National to assist in the planning and strategy phase of the merger. This includes top legal and SMEs flying out to Minneapolis and a task force of pilots from other ALPA carriers to form the strategic merger planning committee. 

Second, the education campaign begins. Your MEC and committees work to build a merger website, merger education series and answer questions via townhalls, all pilot calls, and your ALPA P2P Committee. 

Next, the execution phase begins where the MEC and committees execute the strategies put in place with the guidance of ALPA legal and the strategic planning committee to ensure a seamless transition of labor as we combine airlines. 

Ongoing: Full transparency with the pilot group every step of the way via email, in person pop-up events, town halls, all pilot calls, podcasts and the merger website.

1. Promote Unity: Solidarity is fostered by awareness and understanding between the Pilots of Sun Country and Allegiant. We encourage you to get to know our future colleagues at Allegiant and remain professional. Having a personal commitment to build solidarity is an important way all pilots can help ensure that any benefits gained by this corporate transaction will be shared by its Pilots! Remember, at some point, we will be fighting together with the Allegiant Pilots for a Joint CBA. 

2. Remain professional: On the line and on social media. Our goal remains a collaborative effort to reach a combined labor group. Please do not engage in seniority list speculation or other commentary as that can potentially be used against us in the seniority integration process. 

3. ALPA Volunteer: Please fill out a DART and the Membership Committee will reach out with open committee positions. 

4. Plug in: Continue to reach out, stay engaged, keep up to date with the process and communications from your MEC and committees. 

5. Bring any concerns directly to your ALPA representatives as soon as possible so we can work on your behalf to achieve a solution.

The TPA is a multi-party agreement between the airline managements, and unions that represent the pilot groups of each airline. Specifically, and typically, it addresses the following: 

• The process for negotiating a JCBA 
• The process for integrating seniority lists and management’s obligation to implement a single seniority list 
• Applicable job protections 
• Merger-associated expenses 
• Application for Single Operating Certificate and petition for Single Transportation System determination.

TPA negotiations may begin at any time after the merger announcement. This typically requires a meeting and collaboration of the parties involved to determine a schedule and protocol.

There will presumably be four parties involved: Allegiant Management, Sun Country Management, Allegiant Pilots as represented by Teamsters, and Sun Country Pilots as represented by their ALPA MEC. 

Each party will have their own respective negotiators and staff involved in this process.

The JCBA is negotiated by the Teamsters JNC for the Allegiant Pilots and the ALPA JNC for the Sun Country Pilots, all likely with the Allegiant management team.

Preparations begin day 1 as the MEC begins to affirm the SCA MEC pilots on the Negotiating Committee to the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), and SME volunteers are tasked with in-depth research and comparisons. 

Typically, negotiations on the JCBA will begin after completion of the TPA. The TPA normally addresses the timing and protocol of the JCBA negotiations. The first stages of this process include MEC-driven pilot outreach, information gathering from the pilot group, and surveys / polling. The MEC then directs the JNC on what to negotiate on behalf of the pilots.

This answer essentially comes down to timing. If our JCBA negotiations begin before the corporate transaction closes, we expect that both the Allegiant and Sun Country management teams will participate in the process. After closing, it is customary for the surviving management team to conclude negotiations. If JCBA negotiations begin after the corporate transaction closes, we would anticipate negotiating with solely Allegiant management. It would not be unusual for Allegiant management, in this case, to ensure that management participants on their team have familiarity with each CBA/operation.

No. Both Sun Country and Allegiant operate on a low-cost business model. Your Negotiating Committee and MEC are well versed and pragmatic problem solvers in negotiating within this environment. We expect that success to continue with the new executive team as we aim to ensure that Sun Country Pilots and all pilots in the combined airline have access to work rules, pay, benefits, and retirement that meet our collective interests. 

All of this can be maintained while also promoting the success of our new airline financially. The success of this principle has led to fruitful negotiations in the past, and we expect that to continue without issue.

The JCBA will be negotiated through pilot input from both pilot groups, direction from both local union leadership teams, and once an Agreement in Principle is reached, then the agreement is sent to the union leaderships for approval. If approved at that level, the JCBA will then be sent out for a ratification vote by the pilot groups.

The SCA ALPA Merger Committee plays a central, pilot-driven role in protecting seniority, careers, and contractual rights when two airlines and pilot groups merge. Its authority and duties are regulated by the ALPA Bylaws and the McCaskill-Bond Act, and ultimately the TPA. 

While the core purpose of this committee is the Seniority List Integration (SLI), they also play a role in negotiations of the TPA as SMEs, work with the ALPA National Merger Policy experts, ALPA legal counsel, ALPA Economists and data analysts, ALPA Finance and a team of other ALPA pilots at properties currently in the merger process with experience in the process or are a subject matter expert.

The union may be decided in a few different ways. We will break those down below: 

• At any time during the merger process, either pilot group may hold a vote to decertify their current union representation and replace that representation with the same union representing the other pilot group.
• Either union may request a Single Carrier Determination with the National Mediation Board (NMB). This would trigger the NMB to make a decision on the union representation for a combined pilot group. This decision would ultimately lead to a pilot vote at both airlines to determine the union representation going forward. It is important to dispel the rumor that the NMB will simply select the union representation; that is not true. 
• In a typical merger, the last step of the merger process is Single Carrier Determination. Per the ALPA Merger Policy and typical TPA provisions, determining the union representation and building unity and solidarity within the new combined pilot group is achieved after the JCBA is negotiated, and the SLI process is complete.

We remain confident; Sun Country Airlines was founded in 1982 by a small group of Braniff pilots and flight attendants. The goal then remains our driving force now, “an airline for pilots, by pilots.” 

Aside from the resounding force of the ALPA resources we have utilized over the decades to secure industry-leading contracts and strong contract enforcement, there is one thing that is abundantly clear: ALPA is “a Union for pilots, by pilots.” We share that common core goal, and it is entrenched into the soul of this MEC, Sun Country Pilots, the ALPA staff we work with every day and the pilot committees. 

This core principle not only resonates with every single Sun Country Pilot, past and present, but it resonates on a deeper level with all airline pilots. 

Regardless of the final outcome of the future pilot union vote, we do ask all of our fellow Sun Country Pilots to remain absolute professionals on this topic. While it is emotional for us, we must understand it can be equally emotional for our fellow Allegiant Pilots regarding the Teamsters as well. Remain professional, understanding and open throughout this process as we all have the same goal: One successful, combined and unified pilot group. 

This is a core topic in strategic planning, and your MEC is fully committed to backing our interests in remaining ALPA pilots in the newly merged airline. 

Please reach out directly to your MEC representatives for any additional questions on this topic.

It is crucially important. As we begin the merger process and throughout, there is one goal in mind -- the successful combination of labor and our ability to harness that leverage to ensure gains secured by this corporate transaction will be shared in by its pilots! 

It is important that we remain professional and focused on our independent and joint goals as Sun Country Pilots and future Allegiant Pilots.