When traveling within the United States Sun Country may not be the first airline that comes to your mind however, the airline has a lot to offer. They are growing their fleet adding larger aircraft and are expanding to new destinations across the country. If traveling on Sun Country you have three cabin products to choose from, “Best Seats”, the exit row and standard economy seats. Are the best branded seats worth the extra charge? That question will be answered by flying on Sun Country’s Best Seat from Hartford Connecticut Bradley International Airport (BDL) to Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).
What’s Included In Sun Country’s Best Seats?
The Best Seats come with a few extra perks compared to standard economy seats. Perks include Zone 2 boarding (preferred boarding group), a complimentary alcoholic beverage, 4″ of extra legroom (34″ total pitch), extra recline, adjustable headrests and USB / AC power outlets. It is worth noting that complimentary check baggage is not included with Sun Country’s Best Seats.
Preflight Experience
Sun Country has a rather basic booking platform. Being an Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) some routes are flown weekly, not daily so booking to a specific destination may be limited to a certain day of the week. When booking, you are shown a base fare which is just as the name implies, is the rock bottom price without any additional fees. For this trip the best bundle was selected bringing the total to $217.00 Now if booking unbundles seat prices range from $12-$15 with checked bags costing $34 per bag. Sun Country is very transparent on the ancillary fees. It is a better value to select the bundle when booking. Hartford Bradley International Airport is a smaller operation for Sun Country. Bag drop is done by contract staff. None the less staff were friendly and quickly checked in luggage as well as provided paper boarding passes.
First Impressions
Boarding commenced on time. There were only 40 people on the flight in total. Still the ground staff did the boarding process in numerical order. Being in the Best Seats we were one of the first to board the aircraft. The friendly crew greeted each passenger as they entered the aircraft. The Best Seats are easily identified by the blue and orange headrests. What becomes immediately apparent when first sitting down in the Best Seats are how much legroom there is. There is a generous 34″ inches of seat pitch, much better than most ultra low cost carriers. With only 40 passengers onboard, pushback was well ahead of schedule. Being such a light load, the Boeing 737-800 felt like a rocket using very little runway to get off the ground.
Inflight Experience
After crossing 10,000 feet the crew began the complimentary beverage and buy on board service. Snacks are not complimentary in the Best Seats, however premium beverages are complimentary. Meanwhile economy passengers also receive complimentary beverages but are limited to sodas, coffees and water. Prices for snacks are reasonable with many costing under dollars. The tapas snack box and trail mix was purchased. When looking at Sun Country’s menu be on the lookout for the heart icon with a MN next to it. This denotes a local product.
At the moment there is not Wi-Fi aboard Sun Country aircraft. There is however a basic inflight entertainment portal. In the portal, there are magazines, tv shows and movies. There is also a kids section with kid movies and tv shows. The portal does not have Live tv however. If in need of a charge for electronic devices, there are AC power outlets and USB charging underneath the seatback. The Best Seats offer AC and USB charging while standard economy seats only offer USB charging.
The crew working this flight were attentive to all of the 40 or so passengers aboard the light flight. They performed a second drink service prior to arrival and offered waters. Prior to landing it was time to check off another Minnesota brand, Cariboo Coffee. Surprisingly, the coffee is much better than ones offered by even mainline airlines.
Final Approach
Is Sun Country’s Best Seat worth the extra price? While a subjective question, there are some metrics to help make that determination. If you are on the taller side or value extra legroom than it may be worth considering. Having early boarding, and complimentary premium beverage is a nice perk. Personally those are perks that I can live without but may come in handy on a packed flight (no fighting for overhead bin space). Overall the entire Sun Country Airlines experience was rather refreshing. From the friendly crew to the local snack and drink selections and the comfortable seat, Sun Country checks a majority of the boxes. The only let down is the spartan inflight entertainment, but it is still better than what Frontier or Spirit have to offer (or lack thereof). If traveling in or out of Minnesota, Sun Country Airlines Best Seats are worth considering.