U.S. Discount Carrier Sun Country Airlines Prepares for IPO

Sun Country Airlines, a small Minnesota-based, low-cost carrier owned by private-equity firm Apollo Global Management, plans to file for an initial public offering as soon as April, Sun Country's CEO said Tuesday in an interview. "Our earnings are supportive," Jude Bricker told Skift at the International Aviation Forecast Summit in Las Vegas. "I think there's a market for an airline that is growing." If Sun Country were to go public next year, it would be a fast turnaround for Apollo, which acquired the airline in December 2017. The previous owners, Mitch and Marty Davis, who also control Cambria, a maker of stone countertops, had managed Sun Country more like a family business than a medium-sized airline. Apollo has cut costs and changed the model, dropping first class, adding fees and making more it like Frontier Airlines or Spirit Airlines than an undersized competitor to Delta Air Lines or American Airlines. While Mesa Air Group, a regional carrier, went public last year,