Sun Country chairman threatens to shut down airline

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — The chairman of Sun Country Airlines is threatening to ground its planes during a pay dispute with the pilots union.

A letter from Marty Davis to the union said the company's management has "begun the process of downsizing the airline, for what will need to be its ultimate shut-down."

Minnesota Public Radio reports the company declined to comment. The pilots union dismissed the letter as a bargaining tactic.

Federal records indicate the carrier has been consistently profitable since 2009. The pilots union argues that no other sizable airline pays pilots less for flying Boeing 737s.

The pilots have voted to authorize a strike, but a walkout does not appear imminent.

A spokesman for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport says Sun Country has not expressed interest in ending its airport leases.

Similarly, Sun Country president John Fredericksen tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "Nothing is going on at Sun Country that will have any impact on current customers."

The Pioneer Press describes Minnesota-based Sun Country as "offering travelers a welcome bit of competition to the dominant presence of Delta Air Lines, which carries 74% of (Minneapolis-St. Paul) passengers."