United brings its poshest plane to Italy in big competitive retaliation
The competition between U.S. airlines is expanding to a new frontier: Naples, Italy.
Over the weekend, United Airlines filed a notable schedule change for service to Naples, as first seen in Cirium schedules. Specifically, the Chicago-based carrier will deploy the "high-J" Boeing 767-300ER on all flights between Newark and Naples this summer.
United's seasonal Naples service runs from May 3, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2024, and every single flight will be operated by the poshest plane in the airline's fleet. Not only will United deploy the high-J on every frequency, but it'll even fly a whopping two daily flights from Newark to Naples for much of the summer (from May 23, 2024, to Sept. 24, 2024).
The high-J Boeing 767-300ER features just 167 seats in one of the most premium-heavy configurations offered by a U.S. airline. There are a whopping 46 Polaris business-class pods (spanning 17 rows), as well as 22 Premium Plus recliners, 43 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 56 standard economy seats.
Of course, Naples is one of the most popular summer destinations for American tourists, and it isn't necessarily surprising to see the high-J flying there. After all, this past summer, United flew the jet to Naples for a few weeks in August and September.
But while Naples may be popular with tourists exploring the Amalfi Coast or Capri, Italy, there's seemingly more to the story.
Over the past few weeks, both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced their hotly anticipated new transatlantic routes for summer 2024. While each airline is adding new flights, one of the most notable announcements has been service expansion to Naples.
American unveiled three brand-new destinations for next summer, including Copenhagen; Nice, France; and, you guessed it, Naples. The carrier will connect all three cities with new nonstops from Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Delta's announcement, while not as splashy as American's, includes two new routes from New York: one to Munich and another to Naples.
Delta's new Naples route will commence on May 23, which (perhaps unsurprisingly) is the same day that United will upgrade its Naples service to two daily flights. (American's service doesn't kick off until June 6, after the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend that traditionally kicks off the busy summer travel season.)
The three major U.S. airlines are no strangers to competition, especially in the Northeast where they fight for market share in New York and the entire region.
In this case, each of the carriers is serving Naples from one of their primary transatlantic hubs, which means that flyers from all across the country should have plenty of one-stop options for getting to this Italian port city.
The other good news for passengers is that the increased competition should help drive down prices. In United's case, the plethora of premium seats on the high-J Boeing 767 might also translate to additional award and upgrade availability, but a spot check at the schedules shows that's not the case just yet.
When all is said and done, this upcoming summer is shaping up to be one of the busiest for service to Europe. This is the most nonstop service that Naples has ever seen from the U.S. Now-defunct Air Italy used to fly between New York and Naples in the mid-2010s, Cirium schedules show.
Meanwhile, overall departures in July 2024 are about 6% higher than the last highest month in recent record (July 2023), Cirium schedules show. There are more than 18,200 flights scheduled from the U.S. to Europe this coming July.
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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.