Former Allegiant Travel COO taking reins at Sun Country

Jude Bricker has jumped from chief operating officer at Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co. to becoming head of another low-cost air carrier.

Bricker was hired Monday as the new president and CEO at Sun Country Airlines, replacing an embattled leader who was asked to step down, company officials announced.

“I look forward to continuing the tradition of customer focus while delivering safe and reliable service to top destinations,” Bricker said in a statement.

Bricker did not say why he resigned from Allegiant in May after working 11 years for the company. He started at Allegiant in 2006 as the company’s manager of fleet planning, rising through the ranks in roles as director of fleet planning, vice president of corporate finance and senior vice president of planning until he was named chief operating officer in January 2016.

Prior to working at Allegiant, Bricker worked at American Airlines and served in the Marines from 1996 to 2002.

At the time of his resignation, Allegiant executives credited Bricker as a “key architect” of the company’s industry-defying strategy to concentrate service at airports in small and midsize cities.

Similarly, Minnesota-based Sun Country focuses on offering low-cost flights from cold-weather states to warmer destinations during the winter, including Las Vegas.

Marty Davis, chairman of Sun Country, said in a statement that Bricker will lead the company’s effort “to grow this business in the most optimal manner, and do so within the market opportunities before us.”

Bricker and his family are expected to move from Las Vegas to Minnesota “in the near future,” Sun Country executives said.

Bricker replaces Zarir Erani, who was asked to step down as CEO of Sun Country after two years. He will now work at the Cambria Co., a business that’s owned by the same family that operates Sun Country, airline officials said.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.