Update 6/12/17
Talk about great social media service. Sun Country saw me tweet my review and responded to let me know you can now receive mobile boarding passes. Talk about awesome!!
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Looking around the inter-webs, I’ve not seen a lot of trip reports of Sun Country’s first class product, so I thought I’d write up a quick review from my last flight with them over Memorial Day weekend. And while I am pretty loyal to the airline, this represents as unbiased of a review as much as possible. I even point out things that I think could be improved.
Check In and Security
I booked this flight in economy and chose an exit row seat which comes complimentary with Ufly Elite status. One downside of the exit row is that you cannot check in online and print your boarding pass. I’m not sure why this is given the fact that almost every other major airline allows you to get a boarding pass in an exit row. This meant I had to visit the counter at the airport, which luckily was open when I arrived a little over two hours before the flight. Sun Country doesn’t officially open in-person check in until two hours before departure so I was glad to be able to check in and get to security.
I had forgotten to put in my known traveller number for TSA PreCheck (rookie mistake), but was able to instead use the priority lane without issue. I certainly missed not taking my shoes off and laptop out, but was through security relatively quickly.
Airport and Boarding
Upgrades must be requested at the gate and are not confirmed until right before boarding, which for me adds a sense of stress at the gate. I know its a silly thing to stress over, but it would be nice if you could confirm an upgrade at check-in or via an app/website. I’ll write up a guide on how I keep an eye on upgrade availability in the near future. I’ve learned its best to ask for the upgrade as soon as there’s a gate agent available and to inquire right before the pre-boarding starts if your name isn’t called. I’ve had pretty good odds with getting the seat up front – I believe I’ve only missed one upgrade in the last 5 or 6 flights where I was eligible. This flight was no exception, and I was able to secure seat 1F and board with the first class group.
Seat and Service
The cabin crew greeted me shortly after sitting down and offered a pre departure beverage (I chose some sparkling wine!) while the rest of the aircraft boarded. Service was friendly, which is one of my favorite aspects of Sun Country. You really feel like you are coming home upon boarding!
We took off on time and climbed out of the hazy LA metro over the Pacific Ocean. A quick left turn later and we were heading east to the midwest. At this point, hot towels are sometimes distributed but on this flight they were offered shortly before landing if my memory serves me correctly.
Food and Entertainment
For desert a warm chocolate chip cookie was provided – yum! I washed this down with a little nightcap of scotch :D.
Overall Impressions/Conclusions
Sun Country offers a great first class product that is often priced a lot lower than on the mainline carriers. I believe an upgrade on this LAX-MSP flight would’ve cost around $140, which isn’t bad for what you get. Paired with friendly service, a good seat and decent food, Sun Country provides competitive product when compared to the likes of United, AA and Delta. If the airline made a couple of refinements such as offering multiple meals choices and providing mobile boarding passes, they could be even more compelling than they already are. Have you ever flown Sun Country? What are your thoughts?