Varig Natal along the Brazilian coast and was thus better prepared to compete with Panair do Brasil and Cruzeiro do Sul. In 1949 the Brazilian government granted to Varig the concession to fly to the United States, since the original airline which had the concession, Cruzeiro do Sul, was unable to operate the services. The inaugural flight between Rio de Janeiro-Galeão and New York-Idllwild (later renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport) was on . The services were operated by three new Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellations. On flights to Buenos Aires using Curtiss C-46s started. In January 1956 Varig served 55 cities
Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is a United States-based low-cost airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota and based at nearby Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. The airline operates 70 routes, mostly between destinations in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Sun Country began flight operations in January 1983 with a single Boeing 727-200 jetliner. The airline's original staff consisted of sixteen pilots, sixteen flight attendants, three mechanics and one office person. A number of the original employees had previously worked for Braniff International Airways which ceased operations on May 12, 1981. The company's founder and first President/CEO was