Delta will make Rome its 9th European route from Boston
Rome will become Delta’s newest destination out of its fast-growing Boston hub.
Flights begin May 21 and will operate seasonally until Sept. 8. During that period, Delta will offer one daily round-trip flight on 293-seat Airbus A330 aircraft.
Delta will become the third carrier offering nonstop service between Boston (BOS) and Rome (FCO), joining SkyTeam partner Alitalia and European discount giant Norwegian. Delta's Rome flights appear to be timed to complement Alitalia's service. Delta's Rome departure from Boston leaves at 5 p.m. and lands in Italy at 7:15 a.m. Alitalia's departs Boston at 9:50 p.m. and lands at 11:50. On the return, Delta's departure leaves Rome at 10:45 a.m. (lands at 2:15 p.m.) while Alitalia's leaves at 3:05 p.m. (lands at 6:25 p.m.).
Delta’s new transatlantic offering from Boston comes amid a broader ramp-up of service there and a slew of new routes during the past few years. Delta is on track to increase its year-over-year seating capacity from Boston by more than 15%, adding new routes to destinations such as Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Lisbon (LIS), Miami (MIA) and Washington Reagan National (DCA), among others.
Delta's growth there led the company to declare in June that Boston had becomes its newest hub.
Related: Can Delta and JetBlue Make Boston the Next Dual-Hub City?
In doing so, Delta has upped competition with Boston’s busiest carrier: JetBlue. The airlines now appear to locked in a battle for market supremacy there.
As for its new Boston-Rome service, Delta announced the flights during a press event at Boston Logan on Monday as it officially assumed operation of all the gates in Terminal A. That, Delta says, makes it “the terminal’s sole operator for the first time since the facility opened in 2005.”
Delta used the occasion to tout its international reach from Boston.
“From offering more international seats out of Boston than any other carrier to being the only airline at Logan with a fully dedicated terminal, we’re continuing to set ourselves apart for customers in ways that only Delta and our nearly 2,000 Boston-based Delta people can,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement accompanying the news.
Related: Sayonara, Narita: The Rise and Fall of Delta’s Tokyo Hub
Both Delta and JetBlue fly nonstop from Boston to numerous destinations in the Caribbean and Central America. But Delta flies to nine airports in Europe, something that JetBlue does not – though it plans to begin flying to London sometime in 2021.
Delta’s other transatlantic offerings from Boston include Amsterdam, Dublin, Lisbon, Edinburgh, London Gatwick (begins 2020), London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and the English city of Manchester (begins 2020).
A Monday-afternoon spot check of Delta’s website showed that it appeared to be charging a premium for its nonstop service, so much so that a glitch may have been responsible for the extremely high fares we saw.
A June 4-9 round-trip booked at Delta’s website returned a main-cabin fare of $5,529 – just a few hundred dollars less than the $6,024 fare for Delta One on the same dates.
Connecting fares for the same dates were going for as little as $851 in Basic Economy or $3,827 in business class on flights operated by Air France via Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG).
A second spot-check of Delta’s website for nonstop BOS-FCO flights for an Aug. 6-11 itinerary returned similar fares as the first: $5,629 for main cabin seats or $5,827 for Delta One.
For customers hoping to use SkyMiles, a Monday afternoon spot-check for an Aug. 5-11 itinerary showed Delta’s BOS-FCO nonstops available for either 260,000 miles in the main cabin or for 360,000 miles in Delta One.
Related: Best Sweet Spots With Delta SkyMiles
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.