MONTEREY, CA, February 20, 2024 - Monterey Regional Airport will welcome Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ: SNCY) with new nonstop service between the Monterey Region (MRY) and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota (MSP), beginning Thursday, August 8, 2024. The seasonal flights will be offered on Thursday and Sunday from August 8 through November 3, 2024. Sun Country is now the fifth carrier to serve MRY.

Sun Country’s MSP-MRY route expands leisure travel to the Central Coast from the Midwest. Flights are scheduled to arrive at MRY at approximately 4:30 p.m., providing leisure travelers a long weekend getaway to experience all the Monterey Region has to offer. Flights from MRY to MSP will depart at 5:30 p.m. The MSP-MRY flights will be on Sun Country’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

“World-renowned Carmel-by-the-Sea is excited about welcoming visitors from Minneapolis with this new non-stop route. The relaxed convenience of flying direct and arriving at your charming Carmel inn within minutes from Monterey Airport sets the perfect tone for a Carmel-by-the-Sea getaway," stated Amy Herzog, Executive Director of Visit Carmel.

Minneapolis/ St. Paul and the surrounding area offer an abundance of year-round outdoor activities, scenic lakes, arts and entertainment, the Mall of America, and terrific restaurants, making it a perfect vacation destination for travelers from our region. The new service is timely for those that want to enjoy the fall colors of Minnesota’s “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”

“Connecting Minneapolis/St. Paul and Monterey County is a tremendous opportunity for both leisure and business travelers,” said Rob O’Keefe, president & CEO of See Monterey. “The connection creates an easy getaway for travelers who want to explore places like Big Sur, Pebble Beach and Salinas Valley. Plus there are a significant number of Fortune 500 corporate hubs such as Best Buy and Target which can benefit from incredibly inspiring meetings and conferences in our destination.”

“Minnesotans will be eager to visit Monterey for the scenic California coastline and access to picturesque Carmel-by-the-Sea, the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, and golfers’ course bucket list Pebble Beach,” said Grant Whitney, Sun Country Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. “Sun Country and our Minneapolis-St. Paul community will warmly welcome visitors from Monterey to Minnesota, where you’ll experience great fall weather, scenic lakes throughout the city, outdoor activity, pro sports, and a terrific entertainment and restaurant scene.”

“We are extremely excited to welcome Sun Country service to Monterey,” said Michael La Pier Executive Director of Monterey Regional Airport. “This new service will offer an affordable and convenient way to connect the two regions. As always, it is vitally important that we support this new service fully so we can enjoy the new access it provides for many years to come. We look forward to growing with Sun Country Airlines.”

To book, visit www.suncountry.com.

About Monterey Regional Airport

Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is Monterey County’s only commercial airport and accommodates over 500,000 passengers each year. The airport services eight nonstop markets with an average of 15 daily departures. We are committed to providing our customers with superior services in a safe, secure, professional environment. Be sure to visit www.montereyairport.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @montereyairport.

About Sun Country Airlines

Sun Country Airlines is a new breed of hybrid low-cost air carrier, whose mission is to connect guests to their favorite people and places, to create lifelong memories and transformative experiences. Sun Country dynamically deploys shared resources across our synergistic scheduled service, charter, and cargo businesses. Based in Minnesota, they focus on serving leisure and visiting friends and relatives (“VFR”) passengers and charter customers and providing cargo service to Amazon, with flights throughout the United States and to destinations in Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean.

For media assets, including photos and video, visit www.stories.suncountry.com.