The new CEO of Sun Country Airlines (SY, Minneapolis/St. Paul) has outlined his plans for the Minnesota carrier, and is on course to pivot towards an ultra-low-cost model. In a memo sent to staff, Jude Bricker said that he would be looking to cut costs, increase seat numbers on aircraft, and generate revenue through the introduction of ancillary fees, reports the Star Tribune.

Additionally, Bricker wants Sun Country to expand from its hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul, where it competes with legacy airline Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson).

As part of the operational shift, Sun Country will offer redundancy packages to senior staff who are "not on board with the new vision", although pilots will be exempt.

The moves are unsurprising given Bricker's former tenure at Allegiant Air (G4, Las Vegas Harry Reid), a ULCC based out of Las Vegas. However, the owner of Sun Country, Marty Davis, says that the aim is not to downsize the carrier.

"We don't want to nickel and dime customers. We want to stabilize it for long-term growth by finding the right rhythm between our pricing and customer service," Davis said. "Jude very much recognizes the value that exists at Sun Country and we aren't going to change that."

Sun Country serves destinations through the US, as well as Mexico, Aruba, Costa Rica, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St Maarten and the US Virgin Islands with a fleet of six B737-700s and sixteen B737-800s.