Sun Country Airlines Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, License and Hiring Process

Sun Country Airlines, the Minneapolis–St Paul airline that flies scheduled passenger service, charters and cargo with Boeing 737-800s and 737-900ERs, was inviting pilot applications on its own careers page at the last check, on 4 November 2026 (“Ready to apply? Apply Now”). It publishes two ways to qualify: an FAA ATP with 1,500 hours, including 500 cross-country, 100 night, 75 instrument and 50 multi-engine, at 23 or older; or eligibility for the restricted ATP at 1,500, 1,250, 1,000 or 750 hours, depending on your degree or military training, from 21, with the ATP-CTP course and a current ATP written. Every applicant needs a current FAA first-class medical, an FCC radio license, the legal right to work in the US and a valid US passport, or a valid passport with a green card. No type rating is needed: the 737 rating comes with the 10-week First Officer training at Minneapolis–St Paul, including IOE, and first-year First Officers are paid USD 83.28 an hour. University students have the College Bridge Pilot Program, and Sun Country has been owned by Allegiant since 13 May 2026.

Is Sun Country Airlines hiring pilots now?

Recruiting at the last check on 4 November 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Unconfirmed. 737 First Officers at Minneapolis–St Paul from 1,500 h with an ATP, or from the restricted-ATP minimums (750 to 1,500 h); College Bridge pathway; US passport (or passport plus green card)

Requirements, as published

Which tier your hours fit

Sun Country sets out five ways to meet its minimums. As its careers page gave them on 4 November 2026, with the FAA rule behind each:

• The sub-minimums. ATP holders need 500 hours cross-country, 100 at night, 75 of instrument time and 50 multi-engine, of which up to 25 can be in a simulator. Every restricted tier asks for 250 hours as pilot in command in an airplane, 200 cross-country with 100 of them as pilot in command in an airplane, 100 at night with 25 as pilot in command in an airplane, 75 of instrument time and 25 multi-engine, with up to 100 hours of the total in a simulator; and every restricted tier asks for the ATP-CTP course and a current ATP written.
• Multi-engine time on the restricted tiers. The page lists 25 hours of multi-engine time for them (“actual” on the 1,250 and 750-hour tiers), but the restricted ATP itself must otherwise meet the experience of 14 CFR 61.159 (61.160(e) and (f)), which asks for 50 hours in the class of airplane, of which no more than 25 can be training in a full flight simulator in an approved Part 121, 135, 141 or 142 course; a flight training device does not count (61.159(a)(3)). With 25 hours flown in a multi-engine airplane, the other 25 must be such simulator training or more flying, so ask Sun Country how it counts them.
• The Bridge exception. The page says the 1,250 and 1,000-hour tiers do not apply to the College Bridge Pilot Program, and it does not say which figure a Bridge graduate needs instead, so ask Sun Country’s pilot hiring team or your university before you count on either.
• Restricted now, upgrade later. A restricted ATP is enough to fly as a Part 121 First Officer, but a Captain needs an ATP without the restriction and 1,000 hours as a Part 121 second in command or in the other operations the rule lists (14 CFR 121.436(a)). The restriction comes off once you meet the experience of 61.159 and are 23 (61.160(g)), so the restricted tiers bring you in earlier without shortening the road to the left seat; Sun Country lists fast upgrades among its pilot benefits, without a figure.
• Preferred, not required. With the ATP-holder tier the page prefers 300 to 500 hours under Part 121, 300 to 500 hours under Part 135 or the military equivalent and 2,000 hours or more in total, and for every applicant recent flight experience and a bachelor’s degree. A pilot without them still meets the minimums.
• The papers. Legal authorization to work in the US; a valid US passport, or a valid passport with a green card, and the ability to travel to and from every city and country Sun Country serves; a valid US driver’s license; an FCC radio license; a high-school diploma, GED or equivalent; and English you can read, write, speak fluently and understand.

Entry routes

• Direct entry First Officer B737 — applications through AirlineApps, from Sun Country’s pilot careers page
• College Bridge Pilot Program — university pathway with UND, Minnesota State (North Star Aviation) and SDSU for juniors and seniors: an in-person recruiting event and an initial one-on-one interview, then full-time work at their school (Sun Country’s Bridge page, as search results showed it); UND’s 2024 pathway sheet asks for a flight instructor position at UND and 300 h of dual flight instruction in aircraft there before a First Officer interview; the Bridge postings tie it to the R-ATP under FAR 61.160, while the careers page says its 1,250 h and 1,000 h tiers do not apply to the Bridge
• ATP Flight School’s Sun Country Airlines Career Track — recommended ATP instructors interview with Sun Country between 1,200 and 1,500 h and receive a conditional job offer, then join at 1,500 h after jet transition and ATP-CTP training (ATP Flight School’s pages, as search results showed them)
• Direct entry Captain — not published

The College Bridge Pilot Program and the ATP Career Track

Two routes take pilots in training toward a Sun Country First Officer seat:

• College Bridge Pilot Program. A university pathway with the University of North Dakota, Minnesota State University, Mankato (whose flight training is with North Star Aviation) and South Dakota State University. Sun Country’s Bridge page, as search results showed it on 4 November 2026, asks you to be a junior or senior, to attend one in-person recruiting event and complete an initial one-on-one interview, and to work full time at your school; UND’s 2024 pathway sheet adds a flight instructor position at UND and 300 hours of dual flight instruction in aircraft there before you request a First Officer interview, and Sun Country’s Bridge postings tie the program to the restricted ATP under 14 CFR 61.160. Read the tier table above with it: the careers page says the 1,250 and 1,000-hour tiers do not apply to the Bridge and does not say which figure does, so ask Sun Country’s pilot hiring team which hours you will need.
• ATP Flight School’s Sun Country Airlines Career Track. ATP Flight School’s pages, as search results showed them, say its recommended instructors interview with Sun Country between 1,200 and 1,500 hours of total time, receive a conditional job offer, and join at 1,500 hours after jet transition and ATP-CTP training. We could not confirm the track’s current terms on Sun Country’s own pages.

Sun Country, Allegiant and the largest US airlines

Sun Country beside the four largest US passenger airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each airline’s last check:

Read the license column with the hours. Sun Country names the restricted-ATP figures beside the 1,500 hours, while American and United ask for the unrestricted ATP itself, which none of the restricted tiers gives.

On 13 May 2026 Allegiant Travel Company completed its acquisition of Sun Country, whose pilots, about 670 of them, are represented by ALPA, while Allegiant’s are represented by the Teamsters (ALPA, 13 May 2026, as search results showed it). The two airlines still fly separately until the FAA issues them a single operating certificate, which an Allegiant vice president estimated could take 18 to 24 months, after which the Allegiant brand is to replace Sun Country’s (the executive to USA Today, as AirlineGeeks reported on 11 July 2026, seen in search results). On 14 September 2026 ALPA said that Sun Country’s pilots were still negotiating their own contract, ahead of the joint contract the two pilot groups are to negotiate; we found no integrated seniority list at the last check. In July 2026 Sun Country cut flights at Minneapolis–St Paul from September, citing crew attrition higher than it expected and more cargo flying, and in August Allegiant said it was losing junior pilots based there to the largest airline in the Twin Cities and called the cuts temporary (AirlineGeeks, 16 July and 5 August 2026; Skift, 5 August 2026; The Bulkhead Seat; as search results showed them).

Selection process

The airline does not publish its selection stages in detail; expect an online application, screening against the published minimums, an interview and a simulator or aptitude assessment before the medical.

Bases and fleet

Bases: Minneapolis–St Paul: the airline’s home and, at the last check, its only confirmed pilot base; First Officer training is 10 weeks there, with hotel accommodation during initial training for new pilots living 50 miles or more from Minneapolis (careers page, 4 November 2026) · Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG): a base for Sun Country’s Amazon cargo flying, where crews begin and end their assignments, announced on 2 December 2025 to open on 31 January 2026, with pilots being hired for it (Sun Country press release, as search results showed it); the careers page does not name it, and we did not confirm the opening itself

Fleet: Sun Country’s pilot careers page, read on 4 November 2026: a fleet “made up exclusively of Boeing 737-800 aircraft”, flying scheduled passenger service, charters (casino, military, VIP and sports teams) and cargo · 70 Boeing 737NG aircraft at 31 December 2025: 65 737-800s and five 737-900ERs, all five owned and two of them then leased to other airlines; 47 in passenger service, 20 freighters flown for Amazon and three leased to other airlines (Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Form 10-K for 2025, as search results showed it) · Boeing 737-900ER in scheduled service since 26 September 2025, first from Minneapolis–St Paul to Phoenix (AirlineGeeks, 8 September 2025, and AeroRoutes, as search results showed them) · 22 Boeing 737 freighters in the combined Allegiant and Sun Country fleet at 30 June 2026 (Allegiant second-quarter 2026 results, as search results showed them)

Three kinds of flying on one type

Sun Country’s careers page, read on 4 November 2026, describes three kinds of flying: scheduled passenger service when leisure travelers fly most; charters for casinos, the military, VIP groups and sports teams, which it flies more of in the months when scheduled demand is lower; and cargo, which it says gives the airline year-round consistency. The page calls the fleet exclusively 737-800s, but Sun Country began flying 737-900ERs in scheduled service on 26 September 2025 (AirlineGeeks and AeroRoutes, September 2025) and its Form 10-K for 2025 counts five that it owns, two of them then leased to other airlines; both types are 737NGs on the one B737 type rating, so a First Officer flies one type on a mix of scheduled, charter and freighter flying.

First Officer training is at Minneapolis–St Paul, the airline’s home. In December 2025 Sun Country said it would open a second base at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky on 31 January 2026 for its Amazon cargo flying, with crews starting and ending their assignments there, and that it was hiring pilots for it (Sun Country press release, 2 December 2025, as search results showed it); its careers page names neither base, so ask which one a new First Officer is assigned.

The careers page also sets out the terms a new First Officer starts on: USD 83.28 an hour in the first year; short-call reserve with a two-hour call-out and no airport reserve; pay protection for every canceled trip and full pay for deadhead legs; hotel accommodation during initial training for new pilots living 50 miles or more from Minneapolis; a 401(k) contribution equal to 15% of eligible 2024 earnings, whether or not the pilot contributes; health, dental and vision plans; flight benefits from the date of hire; and a mentor in the first year. These are the page’s own figures; check them against the current offer.

How to prepare

Sun Country flies the 737-800 and the 737-900ER, both on the one B737 type rating, so the B737 bank below is the type preparation, and the B737 interview set carries the systems, procedures and scenario questions a technical interview draws on. The type rating is trained after you are hired, in a 10-week First Officer course at Minneapolis–St Paul run under the Advanced Qualification Program, so learn the 737’s systems well enough to talk about them rather than its procedures by heart. If you apply on a restricted-ATP tier, the ATP-CTP course and a current ATP written are part of the minimums, and the ATP bank covers the written, with the Part 121, transport performance and turbine-systems questions a US technical interview draws on. Sun Country does not publish its selection stages on its pilot page, so prepare the behavioral “tell me about a time” questions with the US airline interview set and the CRM interview set: short, true stories about your own flying, with nothing your records contradict. Do the paperwork first: work out which of the five tiers you apply under, total your logbook against it, with pilot-in-command cross-country and night time in an airplane on lines of their own for the restricted tiers, and have the transcripts or military records the FAA asks for on that tier (14 CFR 61.160), your ATP-CTP certificate and written result, the first-class medical, the FCC radio license, your passport and your driver’s license ready.

Sun Country has no interview guide on v1prep yet, so for the interview read the complete airline pilot interview guide and the Library’s pilot interviews at US airlines and technical questions in airline interviews. The restricted ATP explained sets out the 750, 1,000 and 1,250-hour routes Sun Country names, and our FAA ATP written test guide covers the ATP-CTP and the test. For the aircraft, start with the Library’s 737 flight deck and operating documentation and 737 memory items, and for what seniority means for an upgrade, airline pilot ranks, seniority and scheduling. Allegiant, Sun Country’s owner, is on Allegiant Air pilot requirements, and every airline on our board that flies the 737 is on Boeing 737 pilot jobs. Check Sun Country’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Read directly on 4 November 2026: Sun Country’s pilot careers page. Researched on 4 November 2026 from search-engine results: the Sun Country page of AirlineApps, the Bridge Pilot Program page, ATP Flight School’s Career Track page, Sun Country’s Form 10-K for 2025 and press reports of the Allegiant merger. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
• Whether the First Officer application on AirlineApps has a closing date — none was shown
• Which hours figure applies to College Bridge graduates: the careers page says only that its 1,250 h and 1,000 h restricted-ATP tiers do not apply to the Bridge Program
• How many 737-900ERs fly for Sun Country today: its pilot careers page still says the fleet is made up exclusively of 737-800s, while the 2025 Form 10-K counts five owned, two of them then leased out
• Whether new First Officers can be assigned to the Cincinnati base, and whether it opened on 31 January 2026 as announced
• When and on what terms the Sun Country and Allegiant pilot seniority lists will be integrated
• Whether ATP Flight School’s Sun Country Career Track still takes candidates: seen only on ATP’s pages in search results

These points are not published clearly by the airline. Treat them as leads, not facts, and confirm them on the careers page: careers page.

Common questions

Is Sun Country Airlines hiring pilots? Yes, at the last check, on 4 November 2026. Sun Country’s own pilot careers page invited applications (“Ready to apply? Apply Now”), and its page on AirlineApps, through which it takes pilot applications, said in search results that it was accepting First Officer applications, with no closing date shown. Check AirlineApps before you apply.

How many hours do you need to fly for Sun Country? 1,500 hours if you hold an FAA ATP, with 500 cross-country, 100 night, 75 instrument and 50 multi-engine. Without the ATP, Sun Country takes pilots eligible for the restricted ATP at 1,500 hours, at 1,250 hours with an associate degree and 30 aviation credit hours from an FAA Part 141 accredited school, at 1,000 hours with a bachelor’s degree and 60 aviation credit hours, or at 750 hours for US military pilots, each with 250 hours as pilot in command in an airplane, the ATP-CTP course and a current ATP written. The 1,250 and 1,000-hour tiers do not apply to the College Bridge Program.

Does Sun Country provide the 737 type rating? Yes. No type rating is required to apply: Sun Country lists the B737 type rating among its pilot benefits, and First Officer training is 10 weeks at Minneapolis–St Paul, including initial operating experience, under its Advanced Qualification Program.

Can a non-US citizen fly for Sun Country? Only with the right to work in the US already. Sun Country asks for legal authorization to work in the United States and a valid US passport, or a valid passport with a green card, with the ability to travel to and from every city and country it serves, and a valid US driver’s license. Its careers page says nothing about sponsoring a visa.

What is the Sun Country College Bridge Program? A university pathway with the University of North Dakota, Minnesota State and South Dakota State for juniors and seniors, who attend an in-person recruiting event and an initial one-on-one interview and then work at their school, as Sun Country’s Bridge page described it in search results on 4 November 2026; UND’s 2024 pathway sheet asks for a flight instructor position at UND and 300 hours of dual flight instruction in aircraft there before a First Officer interview. Sun Country’s Bridge postings tie the program to the restricted ATP, and its careers page says the 1,250 and 1,000-hour tiers do not apply to the Bridge, so ask Sun Country which hours figure applies.