United Airlines has its sights fixed on Italy with major investments, including the new flights to Palermo and plans that extend into 2026.
“Italy is close to podium level” 
“My personal feeling is that Italy is close to podium level,- says Walter Cianciusi, sales manager United for Italy. I am betting on Italy whose placement hovers just shy of the podium, having risen considerably in recent years in the ranking of the most important markets for United, with Fiumicino increasingly evolving into a key hub for Southern Europe."
Meanwhile 2025 already brings with it a series of developments...
‘Yes, with the launch of New York-Palermo from 21 May with three weekly flights, then Washington, a prestigious destination, with flights to Venice, and the new route from Denver to Rome, a seasonal flight that adds to the other six already operating from Fiumicino. Rome’s Fiumicino is the fourth airport connected to Denver from Europe, and follows London, Frankfurt and Munich: a choice that once again underlines the significance of the Italian market for United.”
What is the capacity increase put in place for 2025?
“Italy, as I was saying, is a very important basin, with Rome first and foremost, and the summer of 2025 sees us operating out of five different airports with up to 14 non-stop flights a day between the United States and Italy. This means the annual capacity will grow by 13% over 2024. Rome will consist of +9% and in the height of summer will rise to +18%; flights to Naples will increase by 10% and to Venice by 77%, while the capacity on Milan Malpensa will remain unchanged. In addition, the company's vast network will be available to Italian passengers once in the US: for example, we will offer over 61 connecting destinations from Newark to passengers arriving from Palermo; 86 for those arriving on flights from Naples, and 208 connecting flights for anyone coming from Rome.”
2025 is also the year of the Jubilee: will this affect the composition of United’s traffic?
“Generally speaking, the US component dominates on our flights and this will probably increase this year.
Premium demand is seen as steadily increasing, is this also the case for you?
“Definitely. While corporate traffic is still a little slow in recovering from the pre-Covid numbers, the leisure passenger travelling in business is closing this gap. We are talking about a demanding customer, who sometimes uses miles to travel in our Polaris class. An incentive to buy this class also comes from the sales strategies that allow upgrading up to two hours before the flight.”
Are there any innovations for the fleet?
“The big news will be the entry of the A321 XLR, which will change the face of the fleet starting in 2026. They will gradually replace the older B757s as well as some 767s. Another development is the agreement with Starlink for fast internet connection on board our aircraft, which after a test phase this spring on the Embraer 175s, by the end of the year will be available on the main fleet and by 2026 on the entire fleet.”
