Italy is hot. It was a focus of limit summer 2025 Europe additions by American Airlines. And it’s a focus of Delta’s latest route network changes as well.
- Atlanta: Brussels and Naples
- Boston: Milan and Barcelona
- Detroit: Dublin
- Minneapolis: Rome
- New York JFK: Catania
They’re also adding flights from Atlanta to Athens, Rome, Zurich and Barcelona as well as Detroit – Munich.
• 1x daily JFK-CTA
• 4x weekly ATL-NAP, MSP-FCO, BOS-MXP, DTW-DUB
• 3x weekly BOS-BCN, ATL-BRUAdditional frequencies:
• ATL-ATH 7x -> 11x weekly
• ATL-BCN 7x -> 10x weekly
• ATL-FCO 14x -> 17x weekly
• ATL-ZRH, DTW-MUC increase to daily— Ishrion Aviation (@IshrionA) September 20, 2024
When an airline adds new routes it is rare for them to talk about the routes that are being cut. It’s always worth asking, where are the aircraft coming from? Sometimes there are new planes, or better aircraft utilization. Sometimes there are widebodies rotating out of Pacific routes for summer Europe, or moving from domestic and near-term Latin America flying to summer Europe. But often new flights are also funded by routes that are being dropped. There are some here, as well.
Delta Air Lines continues cutting routes to Germany.
The airline will end its New York (JFK) to Munich (MUC) route after October 26 and no longer plans to bring it back next summer. JFK-MUC began in April.
Delta will also end Atlanta-Stuttgart in October.
— Ishrion Aviation (@IshrionA) September 19, 2024
New York – Germany takes a hit here even as Detroit – Germany capacity grows.
I wonder if this is DL’s preemptive move in anticipation of the loss of Summer 2024 ITA Airways’ capacity as they transitions to Star Alliance (UA)?
Certainly anecdotal, but I’m a young Boomer (63) and I have 4 retired friends, all in different social circles in different parts of the USA, who are going through the process of moving to Italy. Italy seems to be a favorite place now for American retirees. There are some locations that are making it very lucrative for Americans to move to.
Catania doesn’t currently have any flights to/from the US and it’s a tiny airport. What aircraft can they land on that runway? It also tends to burn down from time to time so let’s not get too excited.