LAS VEGAS, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Allegiant Travel Company $(ALGT)$ today announced the anticipated structure of its Board of Directors following the acquisition of Sun Country Airlines (NASDAQ: SNCY). Upon closing, the Allegiant Board will expand from eight to eleven members with Jude Bricker, Jennifer Vogel and Thomas Kennedy, all current Sun Country Board members, to join Allegiant's Board at that time.
In January, Allegiant announced it was acquiring Sun Country in a transaction expected to close as early as May 13, 2026. The combination will form the leading, leisure-focused U.S. airline that is expected to expand affordable, convenient service to more vacation destinations domestically and internationally. After closing, the combined company will operate under the Allegiant name. The airlines will continue operating separately until receiving a single operating certificate from the FAA. There is expected to be no immediate change to ticketing or schedules, and customers can continue to book their flights through allegiant.com and suncountry.com.
"This combination marks a major achievement for both Allegiant and Sun Country, and we look forward to the Allegiant leadership team guiding the company forward," said Maurice J. Gallagher, Allegiant's founder and Board Chairman. He added, "The addition of Jude Bricker, Jennifer Vogel, and Thomas Kennedy to our Board reflects the governance structure established for the combined company in the Merger Agreement, and brings to the Allegiant Board even greater expertise in airlines, finance and corporate leadership that will benefit the shareholders, employees and customers of the combined companies."
Joining the Board upon closing will be:
-- Jude Bricker has served as President and CEO of Sun Country Airlines
since 2017 and has been a Sun Country director since 2018. A seasoned
aviation executive with two decades of industry experience, he previously
served as Allegiant's Chief Operating Officer and held multiple
leadership roles at Allegiant from 2006--2017, overseeing key commercial,
operational, and financial functions. Earlier, he was a finance manager
at American Airlines. He also served as an infantry officer in the United
States Marine Corps from 1996 to 2002. Mr. Bricker holds a B.S. in Civil
Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of
Texas, and he is an independent director of SAS Airlines.
-- Jennifer Vogel has served as Chair of the Sun Country Airlines Board
since March 2023 and has been a director since 2022. She is a former
senior airline legal and compliance executive, having served as Senior
Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer
of Continental Airlines (retired 2010). Ms. Vogel currently serves on the
boards of AAR Corp. and the Telluride Regional Airport Authority and
previously served on the board of Virgin America. She holds a BBA from
the University of Iowa and a JD from the University of Texas.
-- Thomas C. Kennedy has served on the Sun Country Airlines Board since
2021. He is President and CEO, North America at SIXT Rental Car and
previously served as its President and CFO. Mr. Kennedy is a former
public-company CFO, including as CFO of Hertz Global Holdings, with
earlier senior finance leadership roles at Hilton Worldwide and Northwest
Airlines. He holds a BA in Economics from Tulane University and an MBA
from Harvard University.
"We are excited to welcome these accomplished leaders to Allegiant's Board upon closing," said Gregory C. Anderson, CEO of Allegiant. "Their experience and perspective will be valuable as we continue building a stronger, differentiated airline that better serves the communities and customers across our combined network."
The current Allegiant Board, led by Chairman Maurice J. Gallagher, will continue its oversight responsibilities, with the new members joining effective upon the completion of the Sun Country acquisition.
Strategically, the combination brings together complementary route networks -- Allegiant's focus on small and mid-sized markets and Sun Country's presence in larger cities -- creating more than 650 routes (551 Allegiant routes and 105 Sun Country routes) and connecting Minneapolis--St. Paul to additional mid-sized markets while expanding nonstop access to popular leisure destinations. The combined airline also adds broader international reach by leveraging Sun Country's service across Mexico, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean, providing Allegiant customers access to 18 international destinations. The combined company will be headquartered in Las Vegas while maintaining a significant presence in Minneapolis--St. Paul.
About Allegiant -- Together We Fly$(TM)$
Las Vegas-based Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people, places, and experiences that matter most. Since 1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average fares. Today, Allegiant's fleet serves communities across the nation, with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com. Media information, including photos, is available at http://gofly.us/iiFa303wrtF
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and often can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words "believe," "expect," "guidance," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate", "project", "hope" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this communication are based on Allegiant's and Sun Country's current expectations, estimates and projections about the expected date of closing of the proposed transaction and the potential benefits thereof, their respective businesses and industries, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by Allegiant and Sun Country, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements in this communication may relate to, without limitation, the benefits of the proposed transaction, including future financial and operating results; the parties' respective plans, objectives, expectations and intentions; the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the proposed transaction; expected synergies of the proposed transaction; the timing and result of various regulatory proceedings related to the proposed transaction; the ability to execute and finance current and long-term business, operational, capital expenditures and growth plans and strategies; the impact of increased or increasing transaction and financing costs associated with the proposed transaction or otherwise, as well as inflation and interest rates; and the ability to access debt and equity capital markets.
Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements and, therefore, you should not place undue reliance on any such statements and caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the following: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate the definitive merger agreement for the proposed transaction; the risk that potential legal proceedings may be instituted against Allegiant or Sun Country and result in significant costs of defense, indemnification or liability; the possibility that the proposed transaction does not close when expected or at all because required stockholder approvals, required regulatory approvals or other conditions to closing are not received or satisfied on a timely basis or at all (and the risk that such regulatory approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction); the risk that the combined company will not realize expected benefits, cost savings, accretion, synergies and/or growth from the proposed transaction or that any of the foregoing may take longer to realize or be more costly to achieve than expected; disruption to the parties' businesses as a result of the announcement and pendency of the proposed transaction; the costs associated with the anticipated length of time of the pendency of the proposed transaction, including the restrictions contained in the definitive merger agreement on the ability of each of Sun Country and Allegiant to operate their respective businesses outside the ordinary course consistent with past practice during the pendency of the proposed transaction; the diversion of Allegiant's and Sun Country's respective management teams' attention and time from ongoing business operations and opportunities on acquisition-related matters; the risk that the integration of Sun Country's operations will be materially delayed or will be more costly or difficult than expected or that Allegiant is otherwise unable to successfully integrate Sun Country's businesses into its businesses; the possibility that the proposed transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; reputational risk and potential adverse reactions of Allegiant's or Sun
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