Delta is already thinking about winter: more flights between Italy and the US even in the off-season

Summer 2026 has yet to really come into its own, but Delta is already looking beyond and making one thing clear: for the American carrier, winter is no longer synonymous with a weak season. On the contrary, the company has announced a Strengthening connections between Italy and the United States for the 2026/2027 winter schedule, with the aim of tapping into a demand that is no longer concentrated only in the summer months.

The logic is simple: more and more travelers are choosing to fly in the shoulder seasons, when the weather is milder, prices may be more manageable and destinations are less congested.

Delta, which has already fielded its largest-ever Italy-US network for the summer of 2026, now decides to Extend the life of several routes even in traditionally less strong months.

Catania-New York almost all year round

The most interesting news undoubtedly concerns Catania. In fact, Delta will continue to connect the Sicilian airport with New York JFK almost all year round, with only one short break between Epiphany and the end of February, before restarting in March 2027.

This is an important signal, because this route, initially launched in May 2025 as a summer-only connection, has evidently proven to be a success. This is no small detail: today Is the only direct flight between eastern Sicily and the U.S., and the fact that it is extended well beyond the summer confirms that the market is responding.

Rome Fiumicino gains months and frequencies

Also Rome Fiumicino comes out strengthened by Delta's new operating plan. In fact, the company has announced the extension of more connections to the United States, going to cover months that previously remained off the schedule. In detail, the flight Rome-Boston will also be operated in the months of January and February 2027, which was not the case in past years. The summer connection for Minneapolis-St. Paul will instead be extended to November and December 2026, with three weekly frequencies.

Not only that. Also the route to Detroit will be extended, with operation expected to November 2026 and March 2027, in this case with daily frequency. Finally, the flight to Atlanta, already active all year round, will arrive in the peak months of the winter season until 14 weekly frequencies.

More Atlanta also from Milan Malpensa

There is not only Rome in the company's plans. Delta also announced an increase in frequencies on the annual connection between Milan Malpensa and Atlanta during the month of November 2026.

It is another piece that confirms how the carrier is trying to Increasingly deseasonalize traffic, targeting not only summer peaks but also fall and winter flows, both leisure and corporate.

More routes and frequencies means more premium tickets

This "off" season opening is designed, like all ex-US routes, for Americans who want to come to our country, but it is an opportunity for all Italian award ticket hunters. More supply means more availability for them, as for us.

The advantages of Delta tickets is that they can be redeemed easily and with very low fees and surcharges. In addition to Skymiles miles, you can use points from all other Skyteam programs such as Flying Blue, Eurobonus, Suma or Korean. Many of these programs partner with both American Express and Revolut making it easy to transfer.

In conclusion

Delta has invested heavily in the Italian market in recent years, and this winter update further strengthens its positioning. Extending routes such as Catania-New York or expand the offering from Rome and Milan is not only an operational decision: it is also a signal that Italy continues to have a significant weight in the carrier's strategy toward Europe.

As we wait to see how the market will react and what rates will be put on sale for the cold season, one thing is already clear: for Delta the off-season is not so low anymore.

• Skymiles