Sun Country Standard vs Best seats: which hurts less?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 เม.ย. 2023
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Watch the full (unedited) takeoffs:
BOS-MSP: • Sun Country 737-800 ta...
MSP-SAN: • Sun Country 737-800 ta...
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Sun Country Airlines is now an ultra low cost carrier. The fares are cheap, the service basic, and the seats not all that comfortable. The good news is that they offer you the choice of very uncomfortable seats ("Standard") or kinda uncomfortable seats ("Best").
This is a comparison of the Standard and Best seats on a cross country journey from Boston to San Diego (via Minneapolis). BOS-MSP is a look at the Standard seats, and MSP-SAN is a look at the Best seats.
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As a Minnesotan, it’s an absolute shame how far Sun Country has fallen. They used to be a viable alternative to Northwest/Delta if you needed to get somewhere and now they’re just lumped in with the likes of Allegiant, Frontier and Spirit.
my experience with them has been good, though I've never flown them before they restructured to being more of an (U)LCC
From what I've heard is they used to kick it with Southwest largely.
As an employee of Sun Country(charter rep) it’s nice to see coverage here(regardless of the end result). Thanks for all the videos.
Did not expect you back, Scott! Awesome!
Also that beat in the beginning, listening through a high end stereo rig, that stuff goes pretty impressively deep :D.
Thanks man - yeah I’m still here! That track was Free Throw (by Timothy Infinite) btw. I heard it for the first time a few weeks ago and instantly knew it was going to be the title track for this video. 😎
Flying from EWR-MSP and never had flown on sun country. Glad I found this channel to do an economy review. Very informational
Good to see Sun Country actually has try tables unlike allegiant with the "tray tables"
The cleanliness of that plane makes me glad I still bring wipes for my flights. It's not even for the 'rona, I've had enough crumby seats and tables to make me keep doing it.
Smart move! I should be doing that too…
@@sanspotter I kid you not, I started doing it in December 2019 after a flight with a very crumby table. The next day I bought a bunch of travel wipes for the rest of my flights. Boy my timing on that one was spot on 😅
Thanks for your sacrifice there Scott! I didn't even know Sun Country was still flying. I used to drop lots of people off at Boston's Terminal E back in the 80's for Sun Country charters to Florida when I worked for a Boston airport parking lot. On the seat/conditions...make a doctor's appt and get your shots updated for tetanus...just in case. As for this 6 ft larger guy...I'll avoid the "Best seat" and the "Standard seat". Haha.
Haha, yeah, avoiding both (and flying Delta instead) is the right move. And I agree with you about how forgettable this airline is - they stay pretty far under the radar compared to other airlines, and somehow, they have been surviving year after year. They’ll probably be around forever!
Absolutely excellent trip report Scott, glad to see uploads back!😸
Thanks, Ryan - yeah, it’s been a while…
Nice shot of the seat belt now I know my seatbelt extender will fit for sure!! Thx sir!!
Glad to see you do a video from Boston, and on a unique route too!
Yeah, BOS is a really interesting airport. There would be a lot of interesting possibilities for good videos to and from there, so maybe I need to do some planning… 🤔
A new SAN Spotter video to watch has made my day! And one that starts at Volpe Terminal!
Thanks Erik! I hope it lived up to your lofty expectations. 😬😆
Great blog. Loved it!!!😊
Thanks Rob!
Thanks for the video, I never heard of this airline and I was shocked that it even flys to San Diego. I live here and I’m at the airport a lot, never seen this airline.
Read the blog and was waiting for the video!
Yeah, normally I try to publish the blog posts and videos at the same time but I got a little ahead of myself on this one. 😆
Great video. I actually just logged on to get your surf shark discount code. Ended up watching the entire video.
Another great Video review.
Thanks Mate 👍
Thanks Robert - glad you enjoyed it 👍🏻👍🏻
Great video, thanks! :-) Just subscribed! I'm in the process of booking a Sun Country flight from MSP to LAX, and as a 6'5 traveller (I know, i'm basically doomed no matter what), realistically I have the choice of a "best" seat in Row 1, or else the exit row (a "better" seat). I watched your walk on board the plane in slow-mo to try to see what both were like, although I could only really see the front row (which definitely looks fine and is only $16 more than the exit). Did you notice the exit row, and if the leg room there is a lot better? Sun Country say 9 inches more vs 4 inches more in the front....
I miss the good ol days when sun country had a first class product
Me too! I went back and read my old review of their first class experience recently, and I couldn’t believe how good(ish) it was. I totally forgot! 😮
Was such a cheap and affordable first class with meals and everything. Wish they had kept it!
Sometimes early May? Here in MN, it has snowed in JULY before.
That’s just not fair. 😆
You taxied right by the plane spotting area coming in to MSP. If you saw a black mustang parked there it was probably me..😂
How timely! We are traveling to Tokyo in early December, although we’re going on the new budget ZipAir (but with lie flat seats!)
I’m totally jealous! I was actually scheduled to fly Zipair to NRT tomorrow, but I had to cancel because of some pressing work issues here at home. Total bummer. Oh well - looking forward to seeing pics of your trip!
Sorry that your plane was dirty. I've never really had this issue. The "best" seats also come with a premium beverage. If you have the Sun Country credit card (saves you half off bags and seat selection) you will also get an additional premium drink.
I just flew out of Terminal E at Logan for the first time on March 31st to take my first-ever flight on an A340-600 (in fact, my first flight ever on an Airbus widebody), and it seemed like a nice terminal. TSA did not take that long (I do have TSA Precheck), but even those without it seemed to get through very fast. The only negative is it can get really crowded when you have a lot of international flights leaving in the afternoon or early evening, and trying to maneuver around the people trying to put their stuff back together from the security check was like driving in rush hour through San Diego, or Los Angeles, or Miami, or Portland, or Seattle.
Despite currently only living 3 hours from MSP, I have not flown on Sun Country yet but hope to soon.
Yeah, terminal E is nice, isn’t it? That was my first time experiencing it, and I’m glad that I got to see it - it’s really nice. I probably would have had a different opinion if it was busier than it was while I was there. 😆
Hopefully you enjoyed that A340-600! Those are quite rare these days, so saying that you’ve flown on one definitely levels you up one notch on the AvGeek scorecard.
The only negative of the trip was we were supposed to fly back on the 747-400, but it was replaced by the A330. But I look at the bright side; not only did I fly the unique Lufthansa A340-600 but I also got to fly an Air France A318 which will be gone in a couple of months.
I will be flying out of Terminal E in June. I wish I was flying the A340-600, but I'm flying onboard an A330neo instead
oh man, i've never tried sun country even though they've got some competitively priced fares, and i think this video just reinforces my willingness to spend a little more. nonetheless, thanks for covering them! my one time on a super budget carrier (Spirit) was bad enough. i'm curious what their first class product was like though! great video as usual (that dust footage was gnarly!)
You’re very welcome! Sun Country is best for those times when every penny counts, or when they offer the only nonstop option to the place you need to go. As long as you can put up with the mystery stains (and dust 😷😆), it’s worth trying - at least once. Oh, and yeah…up until about 2018 or so they used to have real first class seats with real food! This isn’t the airline it used to be…
@sanspotter how does the bording work? do you choose any seat ? are they assigned? do they have eairly bird like southwest??? sorry i have a ton of questions
Great video!🙌
Thanks Matthew!
I don't understand all he negativity on Sun Country. Sun Country is great! I fly them 5 times a year to Vegas, I typically pay $200 or less round trip, when Delta is charging $450 to $500. Delta seats are a bit bigger and a tad more comfortable. I have never gotten sore sitting on a Sun Country seat. If you book far enough in advance, you can get exit row seats on Sun Country for only $19 and premium seats for $39. The exit row seats have tons of leg room and are the way to go. Delta charges much, much more for exit row and their Comfort Plus seats. The flight attendants are always friendly and the flights are mostly on time. Saving $200 to $300 is well worth flying Sun Country, it's a nice airline and way way better than Frontier or Spirit. Sun Country overall is very comparable to Delta for a much lower cost.
Great video again SANspotter!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Snow is beautiful until you have to deal with -20F here in Minnesota 😂 great review
Thanks Ahmed! Yeah, I’d last maybe 2 minutes in temps that cold. 😵😄
I was seriously thinking "What happened to that guy?" today!
He lives! 🧟♂️
Honestly, a slightly better wipe down and this is a perfect budget airline.
“A slightly better wipe down with chicken and rice on the menu, and this is a perfect budget airline.” (Fixed it for you 😆)
Great trip report video as always! I’m a computer geek, and was that a Mac Mini you were using at the beginning of the video?
Thanks man! Nope, I’m still rocking a 2019 16” MacBook Pro - which I hope to replace with a Mac Studio soon.
Glad to see my homebase featured. I did think it odd they are in the international terminal. I'll be headed visiting SAN in a few months on my way back to BOS. Your JetBlue video was crucial to us booking them for that trip.
Someone else just commented that they’ve been in terminal E for a very long time, so maybe they are just dug in too deep at this point. 😄 Glad that JetBlue video was helpful - and enjoy San Diego!
Looks like Jet Blue is adding a 3rd daily SAN-BOS flight in the Fall
Great content as always.
Thanks Meeran!
@@sanspotter You're welcome.
As far as cleanliness goes, that first plane was gross! Chewing gum on the ceiling? Who does that?! I don’t know Scott, I’m just too spoiled and I need first class or premium economy for my extra legroom.
By the way, it’s a common occurrence to see them flying in and out of LAX ❤️✈️
The nice thing about trying these ultra low cost airlines every now and then is that keeps me highly appreciative of domestic first class. 😁 Reality checks (complete with wadded up gum and blood-like stains) is what keeps travel fun!
11:03 I always bring my own snacks since I did international flights starting in 2012 with British Airways from SAN-LHR, United and Delta in 2016, 2017 and 2019 (both flights I did from LAX-NRT in 2016 and LAX-HND in 2017) and did United once again SAN-SFO-HND in 2019..
It’s one of the easiest ways to make any flight more enjoyable. 👍🏻 I’m starting to do it more and more these days, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to figure it out. 😂
Scott, Justin and me we are living in San Diego. Well sometimes Costa Mesa.
On SC Web....they do mention that you`ll get one complimentary alcoholic beverage in "Gold class". Well, I dont care.
Looking forward to your new international experiences. Plus the Gaslight Quarter plus Paradise Point. Plus me dressed up in Versace silk. Plus my beloved guy.
Scott you are great. You are the only blogger with whom I am still in contact. You have that "certain something". Keep on delivering...Thank you!
Hi, can you do San Diego to Boston with Delta Airlines in the future?!
I remember when spirit and frontier were considered boutique airlines with a premium product. Free tv, fresh baked cookies, etc. ah..the good old days.
Were the best seats any wider- if even by an inch or two?
Nope - they were exactly the same width as the standard seats unfortunately.
Suncountry is my second least favorite airline, only behind frontier. Yes that means I prefer spirit and Allegiant over them. A big reason is because Allegiant offers some sort of app and is transparent about pricing. Suncountry does not offer a fare breakdown until after you’ve booked. This is important because they have a “carrier usage charge” that varies by flight segment. I like to call it an idiot tax, and it can be avoided by booking at the airport. You can’t see how much this is unless you call in, or go to the airport.
For any non Minnesotans that means going to your airport on a random day at a random time but for us we can usually make it work. I book tickets with them when I’m already at MSP for another flight.
I know they aren’t what they used to be, but I have a slight soft spot for them. My old flight instructor is now a captain for Sun Country.
I’ll admit that I’m still a fan as well despite how much they’ve changed over the years. The more ultra low cost airlines the better IMHO.
What a nice video! You probably know my profile because I comment every time. But I got one question though. When will you be flying out of the US?
Thanks Justin - I always appreciate the comments! As a matter of fact I do have some international trips coming up soon…
If we (or "they") could figure out a way to combine Spirit's Big Front Seat with Sun Country's amenities, then we'd have something pretty pretty pretty good. Maybe those two should merge... 🤨
If you don’t mind me asking how tall are you I’m flying sun country in 1 week to go to Fort Worth Texas and I’m 6’6
I’m 5’-10” - you’ll be really cramped in the standard seat!
Good livery but uncomfortable seats
Awesome!
Thanks!
what did you pay? you say more but you dont say the difference so how can we judge if its worth the price difference or not?
I don’t have an exact price breakdown for each segment since they were purchased together as a single itinerary. That said, the Standard seats are always far cheaper than the Best seats.
Ein gelungenes Video, wie immer
Vielen Dank - schön, dass es Ihnen gefallen hat!
Third generation Camaro talk, would make a great video. Maybe someone could pick you up in one after a flight.
That would be epic beyond words. 😄
Hey you should try copa airlines from lax to Panama city
Sound fun…but I’m waiting for them to start serving San Diego first! 🤞🏻
@@sanspotter nice dude
I hate going to terminal 2 at MSP. Cozy yet very basic and boring. Nice restrooms though
Scoot I just buy the Surfshark use the promotion code from you thks man👍👍👍
I wish their best seats were more like Spirit’s big front seats
I want on Sun country for two flights one to my grandma's and my house
Wow, not much difference between the seating options. Both looked a little uncomfortable.
At least I got to take a break halfway through and stretch my legs in Minneapolis!
Outside of seeing them listed on signs outside of Terminal 2 at Lindbergh over the last three decades , I have Never actually HEARD OF SUN COUNTRY or know ANYTHING about them…where do they even fly (I mean, outside of the three airports shown here!)? Are/were they charter, originally? I’ve never even seen advertising for them, even, despite existing in my home airport…
Yeah, it’s kind of amazing they’ve lasted for as long as they have considering how low-key they are. Their route map is really impressive actually - they fly to many more places than I thought they did, but the catch is a lot of it is either seasonal or very low frequency. I don’t even think they fly to SAN 7 days a week.
Unless you live in MSP you aren't gonna fly on them
Fly Red Way Airlines into Lincoln Nebraska this summer!!!
Sounds interesting…I’ve actually never heard of them!
@@sanspotter new airline launching June 8th
@@michaelsharp3615Yes and they are shutting down already...
@@brettbarbour3174 ikr
I'm going baller tomorrow morning to AK. I'm sure it'll beat spirits leather covered aluminum bucket.
It’s too bad they don’t bring back the old 1st class, along with clean aircraft!
Sir Scott thank you for those ...well "impressions".
Get it I am so thankful to have dinner tomorrow with my husband at the Paradise Point resort mission bay!
Soothes my soul! After watching this.
That so called airline is such a cattle wagon. You should not support this. No matter if this "AIRLINE????!!!!" is offering those "cheap fares". Noone in the U.S. should support their business. Nobody!
I was just wondering, dont they offer you a free alcoholic drink in ULTRA DE LUXE BEST SEAT CABIN?
You mentioned it, they did offer a first class cabin. Remember that Justin and me flew to JFK via MSP in First. And that was not bad at all. Really decent inflight service. Well, once upon a time....
Sun Country sort of amazes me in a way. They don’t have a very large route network (at least compared to other major US airlines), and their onboard service is mediocre at best, but they keep chugging along year after year. Whatever it is that they are doing is working for them! People are willing to put up with a lot for cheap fares I guess.
And nope - no free drinks in the fancy pants seats! 😄 Pretzels is as good as it gets.
Hope you’re enjoying San Diego!
❤
You can't controll how 3,000 people eat or treat someone else's property in a aircrafts shift.
At least they were dots pretzels...
Very true. Those things are freaking amazing. 😄
sun country:
fly for travel is a privilege (and verging on a miracle ). 109 billion people have lived and died over the last 192,000 years. how many of them got to experience this....or even imagine it?
109 billion! 🤯 Had no idea it’s been that many.
On my last work trip me and a coworker both were flying out of the same city and requested the same flight I got delta and she got sun country needless to say she was not happy 😂
Also would love to hear some car talk 😂
Hopefully you were kind enough to save a package of Biscoff cookies for her. 😄 Oh, and the car talk can be found by searching for “DriveAndReview” 😬😬😄
Frontier beats their prices
pledging Allegiant to Sun Country Airlines. That pun was cheap.
Thank you for noticing! I was quite proud of it myself. 🤣
Bro it seems that those adverts for the seats are only for US 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😬😬
Some people cheap skate is another person's reality..
So they're just like Southwest, except you have to connect through MSP? No thanks.
Imagine if Spirit and Allegiant had a love child - that’s the best way I can describe Sun Country. 😄
@@sanspotter OMG...dreadful.
I'd say its like a slightly worse Southwest, but with power outlets. Better than Sprit/Frontier, never flown allegiant. Although unless you are flying out of MSP, you wouldn't have much of a reason to fly on them. They are also significantly cheaper than SWA.
haha another greyhound in the skies has entered the market!
Hello! So I’m flying sun country from MSP to TPA, I wanted to see if sun country economy would be worth it. Thanks, Did you have to pay for the wifi?
Just wanted to tell you, I am a Minnesotan and Sun Country is local to MN! Thats your funfact if you didn’t know.
You have cats?
We did. She passed away this time last year, and we still have most of her stuff. It’s so hard to let go of it all. 🙁
@@sanspotter 😢😢
I also miss the old Sun Country First Class product as it looked so much better than what they sell now. Also fun fact Sun Country flies some B737-800BCFs for Amazon Prime as Prime Air now… They also said by 2025 they will abandon all pax service to be fully owned by Amazon Air under the name Sun Cargo!! 😯 So my chances to fly with them someday are growing dimmer by the day! 😮
What?! They are giving up on passenger service?? I had no idea. That’s actually quite the bummer to hear.
Who told you that? That is defenitely wrong
100% not true
They're getting 900ERs from Oman and there's speculation of a wide body fleet. SY is not abandoning PAX service.
Sun country airlines was good
Guess I was lucky the one time I flew Sun Country. It was 2019 and I flew MSP>PVD and the plane I was on hadn't been refurbished to these thinly padded nonsense they have today. I also had much more legroom and the free entertainment was a great perk.
Not sure how Terminal 2 in MSP compares to Terminal 1, but I just flew Delta on that same route last week. I was irritated that you have to take a tram from the car rental garage to the terminal entrance AND THEN WALK MORE THAN the tram distance back to the gate. They give you a couple stretches of moving walkways on the way. Dumb....
Thank you for blurring out people's faces. I hate that anyone can just record anybody and have their face be shown for the world. It's a complete lack of privacy, so thank you for respecting that privacy
After the mysterious blood 🩸 and dust . No Bueno 👎🏾