Flying Sun Country with Kids: UM Service, Strollers & Infant Policies

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, lap infants under 24 months at time of travel fly free on domestic routes and on international leisure routes including Mexico and Caribbean destinations. There is no base fare charged for a lap infant. However, online booking does not support adding a lap infant — parents must complete the lap-infant registration at the airport ticket counter on departure day, requiring a birth certificate or government-issued age-verification document. If the infant turns 24 months during a round trip, the return leg requires a separately purchased adult fare. Always verify the current policy directly at suncountry.com before booking.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, infants under 24 months may travel as lap infants at no base fare cost, meaning a separate seat is not required. However, the FAA strongly recommends that all children under 40 pounds use an FAA-approved child restraint system (CRS) secured in their own seat for maximum safety during takeoff, landing, and turbulence. If you choose to purchase a seat for your infant on Sun Country, the full adult fare applies — there is no infant seat discount. An FAA-approved car seat sticker is required to use the restraint in-cabin. Verify the latest requirements at suncountry.com before traveling.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, no bassinet service is offered on any aircraft. The entire Sun Country fleet consists of Boeing 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900 narrow-body aircraft configured for US domestic and leisure international routes — none of these aircraft carry bulkhead bassinet mounts. This is a structural limitation of the narrow-body fleet type, not a temporary policy. Parents of infants under approximately 6 months who require bassinet availability should consider long-haul wide-body carriers such as Lufthansa, Emirates, or Singapore Airlines, all of which offer reservable bassinets. Verify the current fleet and policy at suncountry.com.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published baggage policy, carry-on bags are a paid add-on ranging from USD 35 to USD 55 depending on route and when purchased, while one personal item is included free per ticketed passenger. Lap infants receive no individual baggage allowance — they share the accompanying adult's allowance. Children 2 and older who hold paid seats receive the same allowance as adult passengers, including the paid carry-on tier. The diaper bag is exempt from the carry-on and personal item counts per the carrier's family-travel page, which is a meaningful benefit. Pack formula, diapers, snacks, and essential baby items in the exempt diaper bag. Verify current fee amounts at suncountry.com before travel.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, unaccompanied minor service is available for children ages 5 through 14 at USD 75 each way — the lowest unaccompanied minor fee in the US ultra-low-cost carrier segment. Service is mandatory for children 5–14 traveling without an adult. Children under 5 are not permitted to travel as unaccompanied minors. The service is restricted to non-stop flights only — connecting itineraries are not accepted. Booking must be completed by phone through Sun Country's reservations channel, not online. Both the drop-off adult and the designated pickup adult must provide government-issued photo identification. Verify all requirements and book early through suncountry.com's contact options.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, online addition of a lap infant is not supported — neither through the website nor through the mobile app. This is a meaningful operational difference from many US carriers that allow lap-infant add in the 'Manage My Booking' flow. To add a lap infant, parents must arrive at the airport ticket counter with the infant's birth certificate or government-issued age-verification document and complete the registration in person. Expect this process to add approximately 15 to 20 minutes to check-in. Arrive at least 90 minutes before your scheduled departure to allow sufficient time. Always confirm the counter-check-in requirement directly at suncountry.com before your travel date.

According to Sun Country Airlines' published corporate information and public regulatory filings, a pending acquisition by Allegiant Air is expected to close around May 2026. If completed, the combined entity would operate as the largest US leisure-focused carrier, unifying two Minneapolis-St. Paul-anchored bare-fare leisure networks. As of this guide's update date, Sun Country continues to operate independently with its published family policies intact through the transition period. Parents booking travel around or after the expected close date should verify whether any policy changes take effect post-merger. Always check directly at suncountry.com for the most current operational status before booking.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, families traveling with infants under 2 years of age are invited to pre-board before general zone boarding. This pre-boarding is automatic — no special request is needed — and is included at no additional fee with any standard ticket. However, Sun Country is not on the DOT Family-Seating Dashboard's commitment list, which means the carrier has not committed to seating children adjacent to accompanying adults without an additional charge. Parents who do not purchase seat selection may find their children assigned to non-adjacent rows. To guarantee adjacent seats, paid seat selection is recommended at time of booking. Verify the current boarding policy at suncountry.com.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, one stroller per fare-paying passenger is gate-checked or counter-checked free of charge. This covers umbrella strollers, full-size strollers, and jogging strollers — Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, sun Country does not publish a size restriction on strollers. The all-Boeing 737-700/-800/-900 fleet supports jet-bridge stroller return at most stations the carrier serves, meaning the stroller is typically waiting for you at the aircraft door upon arrival rather than at baggage claim. To gate-check, tag the stroller at the ticket counter during check-in for faster processing, then hand it to the gate agent at the jet bridge just before boarding. Verify specific station procedures at suncountry.com.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published pricing policy, no child fare discount is offered for passengers 2 years of age and older. Every ticketed child 2 and above pays the full adult fare — this is standard practice across all five US ultra-low-cost carriers (Sun Country, Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, and Avelo). The only age-based fare concession is the lap-infant free policy for children under 24 months. Families booking a party of four adults and children on Sun Country should budget for full adult fares for each traveling child 2 and older, plus applicable carry-on fees (USD 35–55) and seat-selection fees if adjacency is required. Always verify the total booking cost at suncountry.com before purchase.

According to the US Department of Transportation Family Seating Dashboard (transportation.gov/airconsumer/family-seating-dashboard), Sun Country Airlines is not on the DOT's commitment list for fee-free adjacent seating for children. This means the carrier has not publicly committed to seating children next to accompanying adults without charging a seat-selection fee. Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines are on the DOT commitment list for this guarantee on qualifying fares, making them a better fit for families where sitting together is non-negotiable without paying extra. For Sun Country passengers, purchasing paid seat selection at the time of booking is the only reliable method to guarantee adjacent seats. Verify status at transportation.gov.

Per Sun Country Airlines' published policy, the unaccompanied minor fee of USD 75 each way is the lowest UM fee among US ultra-low-cost carriers that accept unaccompanied children. Spirit Airlines charges USD 150 each way for the same age range of 5–14 years — exactly double Sun Country's rate. Among US mid-tier carriers, Southwest charges USD 100 each way and JetBlue charges USD 150 each way. US legacy carriers Delta and American charge USD 150 per leg with connections. Frontier Airlines, Allegiant Air, and Avelo Airlines do not transport unaccompanied minors under 15 at all, making Sun Country the only true ULCC value option for solo-child leisure travel. Always verify current fees directly at suncountry.com before booking.