Several US airlines have announced new flights to and from Italy in 2025, with multiple direct routes connecting major American cities with popular Italian travel destinations.
The number of American nationals travelling to Italy has kept growing in recent years after the Covid pandemic led to a significant slump in visitor numbers.
According to the Federturismo Observatory, 44 percent of tourists who visited Italy last summer were Americans – up by 10 percent compared to 2023.
But market experts believe numbers may further increase in the coming years, as a large cohort of American residents prepare to enter retirement age (over 11,200 people will turn 65 every day from 2024 through 2027) and a strong dollar continues to encourage people to spend money on overseas travel.
Major events such as the 2025 Jubilee in Rome and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina are also expected to result in an increase in American tourists to the country.
A number of airlines have already jumped on the chance to capitalise on higher demand by launching new direct flights this year, particularly in the summer months. Here’s a breakdown of the new routes by the relevant carrier.
Please note: all departure and arrival times are expressed according to the corresponding country’s local time.
American Airlines
Following the success of a direct Philadelphia-Naples service launched last summer, American Airlines will offer daily direct flights from Chicago O’Hare to Naples from May 6th to October 24th.
The flight is scheduled to leave every day at 8.30pm from O’Hare and arrive in Naples at 1pm the next day.
The carrier has also announced it will operate new daily direct flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Venice from June 5th to September 1st.
The Dallas-to-Venice service is scheduled to leave at 5pm and arrive at 10.35am the next day, whereas the service in the opposite direction is set to leave Venice at 1.40pm and land in Dallas at 8.50pm.
A third new route will link Philadelphia with Milan Malpensa from May 23rd until October 24th.
Italy-bound flights will depart from Philadelphia at 9.25pm, reaching Milan at 11.20am the next day. Flights in the other direction will leave Milan at 1.20pm, arriving in Philadelphia at 4.25pm.
Another new daily flight between Miami and Rome will be brought forward by a month, starting on June 5th instead of July 5th.
The direct service will depart Miami at 7.40pm and arrive in Rome at 11.50am the next day. The US-bound service will leave Rome at 1.50pm and arrive in Miami at 6.35pm.
In addition to the new routes, American Airlines will increase the frequency of its Philadelphia-Rome route with a second daily flight starting on June 5th. This will complete the carrier’s “largest-ever schedule to Italy.”
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta-headquartered Delta Air Lines will open up four new direct routes to Italy this year for its largest-ever transatlantic summer schedule.
On May 22nd, the airline will launch daily direct flights from New York JFK to Catania – the first direct route from the US to the Sicilian city.
Flights will depart JFK at 5.25pm and arrive in Catania at 8.35am the next day. The service will run until October 24th.
Delta Air Lines will operate three other routes to and from Italy from May 22nd to October 24th.
Minneapolis-Rome and Boston-Milan services will run four times a week, flying to Italy on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and to the US on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Atlanta-to-Naples services will run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Naples-to-Atlanta flights will run on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
United Airlines
United Airlines will launch the first-ever direct route between Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and Denver International Airport from May 2nd, with the airline operating daily services in both directions until September 25th.
The airline will also launch three weekly services between Newark and Palermo from May 22nd, and new direct flights between Venice and Washington from May 23rd.
Seasonal flights activated in previous years, including Rome-Chicago O’Hare, Rome-San Francisco, Milan-Chicago O’Hare, Venice-New York-Newark and Naples-New York-Newark, will start three weeks earlier this year, on March 6th.
Neos
Private Italian airline Neos will operate a new direct route connecting New York-JFK to Bari International Airport from June 3rd to October 15th.
The service will depart from New York every Tuesday at 4pm, arriving in Bari on Wednesday at 8.00am. The New York-bound service will depart from Bari at 11.30am on the same day, arriving in New York at 1.50pm.
EU border checks
There are major changes ahead for people visiting Italy this year, including people travelling from the US.
The EU’s two new border control systems EES and ETIAS are due to come into effect at some point in 2025 following multiple delays due to incomplete ground and online infrastructure.
EES border checks are set to come into force first, with a phased-in entry over six months whose exact rollout date hasn’t been announced yet. The ETIAS system should be introduced at the end of this six-month period.
You can find a full explanation of the changes here, but this is what they mean in brief.
EES – This is essentially a security upgrade, replacing the current system relying on border guards with an electronic swipe in/swipe out system that will register more details, including travellers’ immigration status.
Following its introduction, non-EU travellers first entering the Schengen/EU area will need to register their name, biometric data (fingerprints and facial scans) and the date and place of entry and exit. Data will be retained for three years after initial registration.
The requirement will apply to non-EU travellers entering the Schengen/EU area. EU/EEA citizens, including dual nationals, and non-EU nationals holding valid residency permits will be exempt. You can find a full list of exemptions here.
ETIAS – This change mainly affects non-EU nationals travelling to an EU country on holiday.
It doesn’t apply to people travelling on an EU/EEA passport, or anyone who has a visa or residency permit for an EU/EEA country.
It is essentially a visa waiver, which must be applied for online in advance. It costs €7 but is free of charge for people aged over 70 and under 18s. Once granted, it is valid for three years.
The system is similar to the American ESTA visa required for short stays.
Samatha Mcnaught
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