Minnesota low-cost carrier Sun Country finally joined the 21st century earlier this year when it finally launched a smartphone app. But travelers using that long-awaited app to book flights might have wound up overpaying for bags.
On select routes, the airline has been charging some customers an extra $2 to $4 to add checked luggage or a carry-on bag each way during checkout on its smartphone app compared to the desktop site, Thrifty Traveler has found. While we only found higher bag fees on mobile on a dozen or so routes – a fraction of Sun Country's total network – that includes some of its most popular routes like Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Las Vegas (LAS), Denver (DEN), Orlando (MCO), or Cancún (CUN).
For instance, checking a first bag on a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas would cost you an extra $36 each way – or $32 each way for a carry-on bag.
But book that exact same flight to Las Vegas on the Sun Country app instead, and adding a checked bag rises to $38 each way or $34 to bring a carry-on bag onboard: both a $2 increase per passenger.
Sun Country executives said Monday that the higher prices for bags on mobile were the result of a coding error in the app as the airline tested discounted baggage pricing in select markets – those lower prices did not pass over to mobile app users who were logged in. That affected a “small percentage of bookings” on the app.
The issue should be fixed by the end of the day Monday, the airline said.
“Our intention is that our app and website have the same price,” interim Chief Marketing Officer Colton Snow said. “This was an error that will be fixed.”
It's unclear exactly how long those higher prices were in effect or how many passengers might have inadvertently overpaid for their bags as a result. Snow said the error only affected logged-in users on their app, adding that just over 10% of customers are currently booking flights via the new mobile app.
After hundreds of searches, our team saw these pricing discrepancies on flights from its Minneapolis hub to Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), Fort Myers (RSW), Sarasota (SRQ), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Tampa (TPA), Denver (DEN), Nashville (BNA), and Cancún (CUN). The Sun Country app charged an extra $4 to bring a carry-on bag on flights between Minneapolis and Austin, though checked bag rates were the same on both platforms.
Those higher prices on mobile appeared to affect every flight throughout the calendar and every frequency for destinations like Las Vegas (LAS) that have multiple Sun Country flights a day.
Unlike the major U.S. airlines, Sun Country baggage fees aren't set in stone: They vary from route to route – a handy calculator can help determine exactly what you'll pay based upon where you're going. And like most budget airlines, you'll pay the lowest rate by adding luggage as you book your flights.
Except, it turns out, for some travelers who booked via the Sun Country app. Those higher fees for bags also resulted in slightly more expensive rates for bundles that include baggage, better seat assignments, and other extras.
Is paying an extra $2 or more each way for baggage the end of the world? Hardly. But for budget carriers like Sun Country whose businesses are built around charging separately for bags, seat assignments, and other extras, every dollar counts.
Once a beloved hometown airline, Sun Country's transition to a low-cost carrier and subsequent operational stumbles have rubbed some Minnesota travelers the wrong way. And this isn't Sun Country's first time in the headlines for its extra fees.
Last year, Thrifty Traveler broke the news that the airline quietly began charging a “passenger interface charge” – a penalty of $22 or more each way for booking online instead of in person at the airport.
Thanks to reader Brian S. for the tip!