Sun Country Airlines first flight takes off from Appleton Airport

Sun Country Airlines will launch its inaugural flight from Appleton International Airport (ATW) today with a full flight. The carrier is the fifth airline to offer service at ATW and will have nonstop seasonal service to Fort Myers (RSW) from January 30, 2026, through April 13, 2026. Flights will depart twice weekly, with service increasing to four times a week starting in mid-March.

With this route, Appleton expands warm-weather travel offerings to now include Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), which serves travelers to and from Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, Bonita Springs, Naples and Marco Island. Including this route, ATW will offer 8 nonstop flights to Florida from Sun Country and Allegiant. In addition to Florida, consumers can fly from ATW to warm weather destinations in Phoenix, Gulf Shores, Las Vegas, and Nashville, and Savannah, Georgia.

“You don’t have to drive two or three hours to another airport because we can get your family to Florida, sun, and fun faster,” said Airport Director Abe Weber. “Our focus has always been to make travel faster, easier, and more convenient and that perfectly matches Sun Country’s mission to get passengers to their destinations safely, hassle-free with friendly service.”

The Sun Country Florida flights will be on a Boeing 737-800 which has 186 seats. “Our recent terminal expansion was done to accommodate these larger planes, and we are proud to see this first flight has had such phenomenal response.”

ATW records record year

The response from travelers in Northeast Wisconsin propelled the Appleton Airport to another record year. In 2025 about 1.3 million inbound and outbound passengers traveled through ATW, a 16.5% increase over 2024’s record breaking year. 2024 was the first year ATW served more than one million passengers in its 60-year history.

“We have experienced tremendous growth at the Appleton airport, and it is due to the support of our community and carriers like Sun Country investing in our region,” Outagamie County Executive Thomas Nelson said. “We thank Sun Country and our other carriers for recognizing the immense economic potential of the Fox Cities market by offering diverse routes and frequent flights to serve business and leisure travelers.”

The past year realized significant achievements in ATW’s growth. In addition to opening a new concourse, the airport realized these increases:

• Carriers opened five new routes to Gulf Shores (GUF), two routes to Fort Myers (RSW), Orlando (MCO), and Orange County/Los Angeles (SNA).
• The airport celebrated three inaugural flights to Phoenix (PHX), Gulf Shores (GUF), and Ft. Myers (RSW).
• The top destinations in 2025 were Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, Tampa/St. Pete, and Las Vegas.
• Travelers contributed to airport commercial revenue in 2025 the following manner:
  • 21,144 bottles of water were purchased
  • 10,314 bags of cheese curds were purchased (#1 was beer cheese curds)
  • 26,493 bottles of soda were purchased (#1 was Mountain Dew)
  • 1,023 cases of Spotted Cow were purchased. This Wisconsin specialty beer is available for purchase after travelers go through security and is a popular item as the brand is not sold outside of the state.

For more information on Sun Country flights and other flights to Florida, please visit atwairport.com.

About Appleton International Airport
Appleton International Airport connects our community to the world through American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Sun Country, and Allegiant Air. In addition to offering nonstop service to 23 destinations, Appleton Airport connects to 13 major international airport hubs from which travelers can fly to almost anywhere in the world. Using Appleton Airport, travelers can safely and more conveniently get to their destination and home again, leaving them more time for what really matters. Appleton International Airport is the third largest airport in Wisconsin according to arrivals and departures. Visit atwairport.com to learn more.