While Italy is always in fashion, the skyrocketing numbers of U.S. tourists going to the country over the last two summers have been pushing airlines to rework their networks and offer more flights there. The biggest focus has been on smaller cities that are very popular with tourists but have formerly not been profitable enough for transatlantic flights.
Last spring, Delta Air Lines (DAL) launched a flashy new flight between New York's JFK International Airport and Italy's Naples-Capodichino International Airport, while American Airlines (AAL) has new routes to Rome from Charlotte and Chicago alongside a new flight between O'Hare and Venice Marco Polo Airport in Venice.
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Looking ahead to 2025, Delta is making an even bigger bet on Italy than this past summer. Promised new routes include a flight between JFK and Catania in Sicily as well as new fights from Atlanta to Naples, Minneapolis-St. Paul to Rome and Boston to the Italian business and fashion hub of Milan.
Delta is promising 'la dolce vita' (these are the new flights)
All four flights are slated to start running in May 2025 throughout the summer season; the airline's routes from regional cities usually get retired in the autumn months.
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"As the largest U.S. carrier in the Italy market, Delta is boosting its service by over 10% year-over-year, providing even more ways for customers to experience la dolce vita," Delta writes in promoting the new routes.
The airline claims that this will mean it flies more routes to Italy than any other U.S.-based airline while other new flights include a three-times-a-week flight between Boston's Logan International Airport and Barcelona and a new flight to Dublin from Detroit alongside existing service from New York, Boston, Atlanta and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
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The airline is also planning to run a new flight between Atlanta and Brussels alongside an existing flight to the capital of Belgium from NYC.
The reason that airlines are so focused on Italy in particular comes down to the rising numbers of tourists who want to come to the country. The U.S. Embassy in Italy released numbers showing that six million Americans visited Italy in 2023 while what is to come out when 2024 is over and the numbers are crunched is expected to be even higher.
While this has been putting a strain on certain Italian cities and infrastructure not meant to see millions of visitors to the point that some places are experimenting with slotted entry permits and "tourist taxes," such travel trends are showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.
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Italian airport authorities are currently working to restart the Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport on the Amalfi Coast that has not operated since 2016 but is slowly being reopened to smaller airlines from nearby European capitals.
"Whether savoring a cappuccino in a Sicilian piazza or exploring the stunning vistas of Mount Etna, Catania promises an unforgettable experience," Delta writes further. "As the first U.S. airline to offer direct flights to Catania, Delta is opening this long-unserved market, providing travelers unparalleled access to Sicily’s rich heritage and breathtaking landscapes.”
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