American Airlines expands routes for summer travel season

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By Sky Industry News

Nov 16, 2024

All three major American airlines have announced plans to expand their services to Italy for the summer of 2025. This decision by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines is aimed at strengthening the market between Italy and the United States, which has been identified as lacking in direct flight options.

Currently, ITA Airways and Neos are among the few European premium airlines capable of expanding direct flights due to limited resources from other carriers like Air France-KLM in Italy. According to Cirium data, several airlines will be offering flights between the US and Italy next summer. Delta Air Lines leads with 265,000 seats available in August 2025, followed by American Airlines with 204,000 seats and United Airlines with 184,000 seats. ITA Airways offers 154,000 seats.

American companies dominate this transatlantic route while ITA Airways lags behind. This scenario benefits American carriers who can maintain their market share in transatlantic travel. Compared to last year, there have been changes in seat availability: Delta increased by 22.5% (48,800 seats), American Airlines by 25.4% (41,000 seats), and United Airlines by 9.5% (16,000 seats).

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In an effort to provide more options for travelers seeking authentic Italian experiences such as pizza in Naples or visiting the Amalfi Coast, American Airlines plans a double-daily operation to Naples International Airport using Boeing 787-8 aircraft from Philadelphia and Chicago O’Hare International Airport starting May 2025.

José Freig from American’s International Operations expressed excitement about expanding connections: “We are thrilled to offer even more choices to reach Naples... The new flight between Naples and Chicago helps strengthen our European network... underscores our commitment to improving international connectivity for passengers on both sides of the Atlantic.”

American will become the largest US carrier operating flights into Naples compared with Delta's routes from Atlanta and New York or United's service from Newark.