Delta is adding nonstop flights between Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Rome (FCO) next year, retrying a straight shot to the Italian capital it last flew nearly a decade ago.
The airline will fly from Minneapolis to Rome four times a week, running from late May through late October 2025 on an Airbus A330-300. That's just one addition in Delta's long-awaited slate of new routes for next summer finally unveiled on Friday … and Delta is going big on Italy next year.
The airline is also planning to start flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Naples (NAP) as well as Boston (BOS) to Milan (MXP). And Delta will be the first commercial airline to offer transatlantic service to Catania (CTA) on the isle of Sicily with nonstops from New York City (JFK).
Meanwhile, Delta is also adding nonstops from Detroit (DTW) to Dublin (DUB), Boston to Barcelona (BCN), and Atlanta to Brussels (BRU) for next summer as well. Add it all up, and summer 2025 will be the biggest for Delta to date.
All these new flights are expected to go all on sale this Saturday.
Clearly, Italy is the focus for 2025. Delta already flies nonstop to Rome year-round from New York City (JFK) and Atlanta (ATL) as well as seasonally from both Boston (BOS) and Detroit (DTW), not to mention several other nonstops to Venice (VCE), Milan, and Naples. But few destinations in Europe – or across the world, really – are more popular than Italy, right?
It's not exactly a new route for Minnesotans … but it might as well be: Delta last operated flights between Minneapolis and Rome in 2016. It didn't work, and Delta didn't bring back the seasonal service for summer 2017.
But something has clearly changed in Minneapolis. Once regarded as a flyover airport that airlines skipped in favor of bigger hubs on either coast, the airport – and not just from dominant Delta.
Aer Lingus resumed nonstop flights to Dublin (DUB) this past spring while German carrier Lufthansa launched its very first service connecting Minneapolis and Frankfurt (FRA). Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and even Turkish Airlines have discussed nonstops from Minnesota to Copenhagen (CPH) and Istanbul (IST), respectively.
For Delta, Minneapolis has become one of its most important hubs, second only to Atlanta (ATL). That means Delta isn't just thinking of schlepping Minnesotans to go eat pizza and pasta – it's banking on filling planes with passengers from all across the Midwest, the Rockies, and even the West Coast with one quick connection in Minneapolis before heading across the Atlantic to the Eternal City.
That game plan worked wonders this year with Delta's new nonstop to Dublin, even while going head-to-head with Aer Lingus on the route. Brian Ryks, the CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission and the Minneapolis airport, said Rome is its “top unserved European market.”
“This addition complements Delta’s robust existing service to Europe from MSP. It also provides Minnesota travelers with another prominent in-demand destination during the peak travel season,” he said in a statement.
That flight will start on May 23 and run through Oct. 24, flying four times a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The airline will use one of its Airbus A330-300s on the route.
That's not exactly a bad thing for most travelers, as the plane's spacious 2-4-2 arrangement in economy is perfect for companions looking for some privacy on the long flight across the Atlantic. These planes also have a dedicated Delta Premium Select cabin and Delta Comfort Plus seats in addition to standard economy.
But at the front of the plane, Delta One cabin is woefully out of date, with seats that are more than a decade old equipped with tiny, low-resolution screens. At the very least, all 34 Delta One passengers will a lie-flat seat and direct aisle access.
But is that worth paying 400,000 SkyMiles or more?
Bottom Line
Delta is officially putting Rome back on the map for Minneapolis.
The airline will fly from its Minneapolis hub nonstop to Rome starting next May, resuming the buzzy route after a nearly decade-long absence. That's just one of several additions flying to Italy next year for Delta passengers.
It’s too bad the route won’t be open for spring break for families. I’m heading to Italy the first week of April with my kids and we have to go to Amsterdam first and then over to Rome. I would’ve loved to fly direct from Minneapolis to Rome. Oh well.