With new owners in the wings and a renewed hunger to grow, Sun Country Airlines on Thursday announced one of the biggest route expansions in its history as it tries to woo budget-minded vacation travelers.
The Eagan-based carrier will add seven routes and beef up connections between the Twin Cities and Mexico this summer, boosting the number of nonstop flights in its network to 50.
While modest compared to larger carriers, Sun Country said the "significant growth" would offer easy access to major vacation hot spots, including Orlando, Las Vegas, California's wine country and Austin, Texas.
The bulk of the new nonstop flights run outside the Minneapolis-International Airport, a noteworthy move that signals Sun Country's push to broaden outside its hometown hub.
New routes include those between Dallas-Fort Worth and Las Vegas; Portland, Ore., and Orlando; and Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska.
The carrier has added nonstop flights to two Mexican cities: between Austin, Texas, and Cancun International Airport, and between San Diego and Los Cabos, on the tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
The addition of those routes will give Twin Cities-based travelers the option to make connections to either Mexican city via Austin or San Diego.
Existing nonstop flights from Minneapolis to Cancun and Los Cabos will not be affected, said Kelsey Dodson-Smith, a Sun Country spokeswoman.
![Gas was $2.39 at the BP gas station ay 46th Street at Lyndale in South Minneapolis. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Friday September 4, 2015 Pre-Labor Day gas prices in the U.S. are the lowest in 11 years, and under $2 per gallon in many states, though Minnesota's average is nearly 40 cents higher. Just one station, in Brainerd, was selling at $1.99. Checking on whether that is a promotion. Costco and Sams Clubs, usually the low price leaders, were 15 cents more. With some motorists' tho](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/4U372WPXFGGQGQHPL2CTC4SFUY.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)