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REVENUE
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
REVENUE REVENUESun Country is a certificated air carrier generating Operating Revenues from Scheduled service, Charter service, Ancillary, Cargo and Other revenue. Scheduled service revenue mainly consists of base fares. Charter service revenue is primarily generated through service provided to the U.S. Department of Defense, collegiate and professional sports teams, and casinos. Ancillary revenues consist of revenue earned from air travel-related services, such as: baggage fees, seat selection fees, passenger interface fees and on-board sales. Cargo consists of revenue earned from flying cargo aircraft for Amazon.com Services, Inc. (together with its affiliates, “Amazon”) under the Air Transportation Services Agreement (the “ATSA”). Other
revenue consists primarily of revenue from services in connection with Sun Country Vacations products and revenue related to certain transactions where the Company acts as a lessor. The amounts included in Other revenue are not material to the Company's results at the individual or aggregate level.
The significant categories comprising Operating Revenues are as follows:
Three Months Ended March 31,
20232022
Scheduled Service$152,657 $124,068 
Charter Service46,187 32,879 
Ancillary68,425 45,086 
   Passenger267,269 202,033 
Cargo23,361 21,053 
Other3,485 3,439 
Total Operating Revenues$294,115 $226,525 
The Company attributes and measures its Operating Revenues by geographic region as defined by the Department of Transportation ("DOT") for airline reporting based upon the origin of each passenger and cargo flight segment.
The Company’s operations are highly concentrated in the U.S., but include service to many international locations, primarily based on scheduled service to Latin America during the winter season and on military charter services.
Total Operating Revenues by geographic region are as follows:
Three Months Ended March 31,
20232022
Domestic$273,423 $208,591 
Latin America20,255 17,869 
Other437 65 
Total Operating Revenues$294,115 $226,525 
Contract Balances
The Company’s contract assets primarily relate to costs incurred to get Amazon cargo aircraft ready for service. The balances are included in Other Current Assets and Other Assets on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The Company’s significant contract liabilities are comprised of: 1) ticket sales for transportation that has not yet been provided (reported as Air Traffic Liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets), 2) outstanding loyalty points that may be redeemed for future travel and other non-air travel awards (reported as Loyalty Program Liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets) and, 3) the Amazon Deferred Up-front Payment received (reported within Other Current Liabilities and Other Long-term Liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets).
Contract Assets and Liabilities are as follows:
March 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Contract Assets
Costs to fulfill contract with Amazon$2,026 $2,195 
Total Contract Assets$2,026 $2,195 
Contract Liabilities
Air Traffic Liabilities$141,613 $157,995 
Loyalty Program Liabilities13,799 15,437 
Amazon Deferred Up-front Payment3,019 3,271 
Total Contract Liabilities$158,431 $176,703 
The balance in the Air Traffic Liabilities fluctuates with seasonal travel patterns. Most tickets can be purchased no more than twelve months in advance, therefore any revenue associated with tickets sold for future travel will be recognized within that timeframe. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, $123,574 of revenue was recognized in Passenger revenue that was included in the Air Traffic Liabilities as of December 31, 2022.
Loyalty Program
The Sun Country Rewards program provides loyalty awards to program members based on accumulated loyalty points. The Company records a liability for loyalty points earned by passengers under the Sun Country Rewards program using two methods: 1) a liability for points that are earned by passengers on purchases of the Company’s services is established by deferring revenue based on the redemption value, net of estimated loyalty points that will expire unused, or breakage; and 2) a liability for points attributed to loyalty points issued to the Company’s Visa card holders is established by deferring a portion of payments received from the Company’s co-branded agreement. The balance of the Loyalty Program Liabilities fluctuates based on seasonal patterns, which impacts the volume of loyalty points awarded through travel or issued to co-branded credit card and other partners (deferral of revenue) and loyalty points redeemed (recognition of revenue). Due to these reasons, the timing of loyalty point redemptions can vary significantly.
Changes in the Loyalty Program Liabilities are as follows:
20232022
Balance – January 1$15,437 $19,718 
Loyalty Points Earned2,294 1,819 
Loyalty Points Redeemed (1)
(3,932)(4,163)
Balance – March 31
$13,799 $17,374 
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(1)Loyalty points are combined in one homogenous pool, that includes both air and non-air travel awards, and are not separately identifiable. As such, the revenue recognized is comprised of points that were part of the Loyalty Program Liabilities balance at the beginning of the period, as well as points that were earned during the period.