Airports
Italy has 4 main airports that have international flights to and from the US:
- Rome (FCO)
- Milan (MXP)
- Venice (VCE)
- Naples (NAP)
Rome Fiumicino is the main international airport that serves the most US international traffic and is most likely the airport that you will fly into.
Main Airlines
ITA Airways is the main international airline of Italy, is part of Skyteam, and uses FCO as its home hub.
Nonstop Flights
ITA Airways
ITA Airways will have the largest route network for business class flights to Italy since it’s the main airline of the country. There are lots of positive reports about their business class experience and it seems to be a great way to fly to Italy. ITA Airways also recently introduced new seats in their A330-900neo aircraft as shown below and they look great!
Best Booking Program
The best program to book ITA Airways business class depends on which part of the US you’re flying from. If you’re flying from an east coast city, you should book via Air France and if you’re flying from a west coast city, you should book via Virgin Atlantic.
Alternate Booking Programs
These are pretty much the two best booking programs. Delta can book these ITA Airways flights as well but at a ridiculous cost that isn’t worth considering.
How To Book
You can book online at virginatlantic.com and airfrance.us.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Program | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| US East Coast and Italy | Business | Air France | 69,000/72,000 + $10.10 in taxes |
| US East Coast and Italy | Business | Virgin Atlantic | 75,000 + $5.60 in taxes |
| US West Coast and Italy | Business | Virgin Atlantic | 100,000 + $5.60 in taxes |
| US West Coast and Italy | Business | Air France | 106,000 + $10.10 in taxes |
Example Routes
| US West Coast and Midwest | US East Coast |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles (LAX) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 620/621 | Miami (MIA) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 630/631 |
| San Francisco (SFO) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 640/641 | New York (JFK) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 608/609 & AZ 610/611 |
| Chicago (ORD) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 628/629 | Boston (BOS) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 614/615 |
| Washington D.C. (IAD) <> Rome (FCO) | AZ 618/619Currently |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- Virgin Atlantic is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
- Air France is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
Notes
- Amex and Chase regularly have 30% transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic (check history here)
- Citi occasionally has a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic
- Chase, Amex, Citi, and Capital One regularly have 20% or 25% transfer bonuses to Air France
- Currently, the only US route to have the new A330-900neo business class product is the MIA<>FCO route but starting 03/2024, the SFO, LAX, and ORD routes will start incorporating the A330-900neo
Emirates
Emirates operates a famous 5th freedom flight between New York (JFK) and Milan (MXP). This route used to be serviced by an A380 and was the easiest way to fly on Emirates’ A380 first class with showers from the US. Unfortunately, this route has changed to use a Boeing 777-300 which has a 2-2-2 configuration in business class. However, this is still a great in flight experience and the cool thing about this route is that you can also book Emirates first class if you want an extra luxurious experience.
If this city pairing works with your travel plans, I would say that this is the best flight from the US to Italy.
Best Booking Program
The best way to book Emirates business class nonstop to Italy is via Air Canada Aeroplan. The best way to book Emirates first class nonstop to Italy is via Emirates Skywards.
Alternate Booking Programs
The next best program to book Emirates business class is using Qantas Frequent Flyer which offers a slightly cheaper point cost but requires more in taxes.
How To Book
You can book online at aircanada.com and emirates.com.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Program | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York and Milan | Business | Air Canada Aeroplan | 76,000 + ~$57 in taxes |
| New York and Milan | Business | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 75,000 + $101 in taxes |
| New York and Milan | Business | Emirates Skywards | 87,000 + $105.30 in taxes |
| New York and Milan | First | Emirates Skywards | 102,000 + $105.30 in taxes |
| New York and Milan | First | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 107,700 + $101 in taxes |
| New York and Milan | First | Air Canada Aeroplan | 177,000 + ~$57 in taxes |
Example Routes
| New York To Milan |
|---|
| New York (JFK) <> Milan (MXP) | EK 205/206 |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- Air Canada is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
- Emirates is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
- Qantas is a 1:1 transfer partner with Amex MR, Citi TYP, and Capital One Miles.
Notes
- Chase and Amex occasionally have 20% transfer bonuses to Air Canada (check history here)
- Air Canada is known for having issues with partner availability, double check with a partner airline that your desired flight is available
- Emirates has never had a transfer bonus except for a one time bonus with Bilt
- Amex very rarely has a 20% transfer bonus to Qantas
American Airlines
American Airlines uses dynamic pricing on their own flights which is annoying since flights on the same route can range from 78k to 400k one way lol. American Airlines will offer flagship business with lie flat seats on all of the Italy routes but only the Boeing 777-300 aircraft features both flagship business and flagship first. Of the Italy flights, only the JFK <> FCO route is serviced by the 777-300. All other routes will use a mixture of the Boeing 787-8 or the Boeing 777-200.
Best Booking Program
The best way to book American Airlines business class and first class nonstop to Italy is via Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
Alternate Booking Programs
The next best program to book American Airlines business class and first class is its own AAdvantage program. Although Iberia, Qantas, and British Airways have some pretty nasty taxes, they do transfer 1:1 with most of the major credit card currencies so if there’s a transfer bonus, it could be worthwhile booking with one of these programs.
How To Book
You can book online at alaskaair.com and at aa.com.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Program | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| US and Italy | Business | Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 57,500 + $19 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | American Airlines AAdvantage | Starts at 78,000 + $5.60 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | Iberia Plus | 68,500 + $233 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | Qantas Frequent Flyer | 77,250 + $232.80 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | British Airways Executive Club | 77,250 + $985.80 in taxes |
| New York and Rome | First | Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | 85,000 + $19 in taxes |
| New York and Rome | First | American Airlines AAdvantage | 92,500 + $5.60 in taxes |
| New York and Rome | First | Iberia Plus | 103,000 + $232.80 in taxes |
| New York and Rome | First | British Airways Executive Club | 103,000 + $987.30 in taxes |
Example Routes
| Other US Cities to Italy | US East Coast to Italy |
|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) <> Venice (VCE) | AA 42/43 | Philadelphia (PHL) <> Venice (VCE) | AA 714/715 |
| Dallas (DFW) <> Rome (FCO) | AA 239/240 | New York (JFK) <> Rome (FCO) | AA 235/236 |
| Charlotte (CLT) <> Rome (FCO) | AA 720/721 | |
| Philadelphia (PHL) <> Naples (NAP) | AA 780/781 | |
| New York (JFK) <> Milan (MXP) | AA 198/199 |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- Unfortunately, no credit cards can transfer to Alaska Airlines. The only credit cards that earn Alaska miles are the Bank of America Alaska Visa personal card and business card.
- American Airlines is a 1:1 transfer partner with Bilt.
Notes
- British Airways has disgusting fees but it has access to more availability than partners like Iberia and Qantas
- Alaska Airlines and American Airlines let you cancel awards for no fee (except for the nonrefundable partner fee)
- American Airlines lets you hold an award for up to 5 days if you’re reserving at least 14 days in advance
- You can transfer Avios for free between British Airways and Iberia since they both use Avios
United
United offers Polaris business class lie flat seats on the routes between the US and Italy so it’ll be a comfy way to fly between the two countries.
Best Booking Program
The best way to book United Airlines Polaris business class nonstop to Italy is a toss up between ANA Mileage Club and Avianca Lifemiles. Booking via ANA Mileage Club is the cheapest option by far but has the downsides of requiring a round trip, non instant transfer times, and a bad website UI. Booking via Avianca Lifemiles will cost a decent amount more but at least gives you the flexibility of a one way itinerary and also is transfer partners with more credit card issuers.
Alternate Booking Programs
You can book United Polaris one way to Italy via Air Canada Aeroplan, United MileagePlus, and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. While these programs are more expensive than booking via ANA, they allow you to book one way itineraries, have easier to use UI’s (except for maybe Avianca Lifemiles), and transfer points instantly from credit cards.
United unfortunately uses dynamic pricing on its own flights so you may see some crazy costs but I was surprised that saver pricing wasn’t too outrageous. Booking via United also is not a bad option since it will probably have more award space than partners do.
How To Book
You can book online at
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Program | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| US and Italy | Business | ANA Mileage Club | 44,000 + ~$32.25 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | Avianca Lifemiles | 63,000 + $26.70 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | Air Canada Aeroplan | 70,000 + ~$57 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | United MileagePlus | 80,000 + $5.60 in taxes |
| US and Italy | Business | Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 90,000 + $5.60 in taxes |
Example Routes
| US West Coast and Midwest | US East Coast and Italy |
|---|---|
| San Francisco (SFO) <> Rome (FCO) | UA 506/507 | Washington D.C. (IAD) <> Rome (FCO) | UA 884/885 |
| Chicago (ORD) <> Rome (FCO) | UA 970/971 | New Jersey (EWR) <> Rome (FCO) | UA 40/41 |
| Chicago (ORD) <> Milan (MXP) | UA 415/416 | New Jersey (EWR) <> Naples (NAP) | UA 964/965 |
| New Jersey (EWR) <> Venice (VCE) | UA 169/170 | |
| New Jersey (EWR) <> Milan (MXP) | UA 18/19 |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- ANA is a 1:1 transfer partner with Amex MR
- Avianca is a 1:1 transfer partner with Amex MR, Citi TYP, and Capital One Miles
- Air Canada is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Capital One Miles, and Bilt
- United is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is a 1:1 transfer partner with Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, and Bilt
Notes
- Amex, Citi, and Capital One regularly have 15% transfer bonuses to Avianca (check history here)
- ANA requires round trip award bookings
- MR transfers to ANA are not instant may take up to 3 days
- Chase and Amex occasionally have 20% transfer bonuses to Air Canada
- Air Canada is currently having issues with partner availability, double check your desired flight is available
- Avianca charges a $25 online booking fee per reservation
Delta
Delta only flies nonstop to Italy from the US east coast. Booking Delta One via Virgin Atlantic is very accessible since all major credit card currencies transfer to Virgin Atlantic and this has the potential to be the cheapest way to fly business class to Italy if there’s a transfer bonus. If you’re adding a domestic layover, Virgin Atlantic will price that as two segments and will use their (gross) Delta award chart to price the domestic segment according to this chart.
So if you’re flying from CLT-ATL-FCO, the CLT-ATL leg is 227 miles and will fall into the 0-500 bucket, costing an outrageous 21,500 miles for Delta one! Those 21,500 miles then get added onto the 50,000 miles needed for the ATL-FCO leg for a total of 71,000 miles. While that’s still not a bad deal, you’re better off paying cash for the CLT-ATL leg and then just paying 50,000 miles for the long haul ATL-FCO segment.
I would say that this is the most cost effective flight from the US to Italy
Best Booking Program
The best way to book Delta One nonstop to Italy is via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
Alternate Booking Programs
You can also book Delta one via Delta’s own program but you’ll pay an absurd amount of miles that isn’t worth it.
How To Book
You can book online at virginatlantic.com.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Program | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| US and Italy | Business | Virgin Atlantic | 50,000 + $5.60 in taxes |
| US and Italy with US Domestic Leg | Business | Virgin Atlantic | 50,000 + domestic leg cost + $5.60 in taxes |
Example Routes
| New York and Italy | Other US East Coast Cities and Italy |
|---|---|
| New York (JFK) <> Venice (VCE) | DL 288/289 | Atlanta (ATL) <> Rome (FCO) | DL 66/67 |
| New York (JFK) <> Milan (MXP) | DL 184/185 | Boston (BOS) <> Rome (FCO) | DL 112/113 |
| New York (JFK) <> Rome (FCO) | DL 182/183 & DL 230/231 | Detroit (DTW) <> Rome (FCO) | DL 206/207 |
| New York (JFK) <> Naples (NAP) | DL 232/233 | Atlanta (ATL) <> Venice (VCE) | DL 192/139 |
| Atlanta (ATL) <> Milan (MXP) | DL 174/175 |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- Virgin Atlantic is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
Notes
- Amex and Chase regularly have 30% transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic (check history here)
- Citi occasionally has a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic
Connecting Flights
These flights will include a layover somewhere and are usually cheaper than nonstop flights but the surprising thing here is that they are actually more expensive. A benefit of this option is that you can also fly to more regional airports like Florence (FLR) and Bologna (BLQ) that are only serviced by non US airlines.
These flights also allow the possibility of maximizing your award ticket with a stopover, depending on the program.
Air France/KLM
Depending on which airline you fly, you’ll either have a layover in Paris (fly Air France) or Amsterdam (fly KLM). Flying Blue unfortunately uses dynamic pricing so it’s hard to give an accurate price for a given date and route combination. Just make sure to keep checking and see if you can find a reasonably cheap price.
Best Booking Program
The best way to book Air France and KLM business class is via their own Flying Blue program.
How To Book
You can book online at Air France’s website. Although Air France and KLM share the same program, book through Air France’s website! It’s much better and more reliable than KLM’s website.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast <> Italy | Business | As low as 50,000 + ~$200 in taxes |
| US West Coast <> Italy | Business | As low as 50,000 + ~$200 in taxes |
Example Routes
| US West Coast | US East Coast |
|---|---|
| San Francisco (SEA) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Paris (CDG) | Atlanta <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Paris (CDG) |
| Los Angeles (LAX) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Amsterdam (AMS) | Boston (BOS) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Amsterdam (AMS) |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Citi TYP, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
Notes
- Amex regularly has a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue (check history here)
- Chase and Citi occasionally have 25% transfer bonuses to Flying Blue
- Capital One occasionally has a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue
- Air France uses dynamic pricing so award prices can be all over the place
- Allows a stopover on one way awards but you have to call Air France
Star Alliance via Air Canada
Air Canada Aeroplan is a great program to book Star Alliance carriers like Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss Air, etc. Since only 2 airlines offer a nonstop flight to Italy from the west coast, booking with one of these carriers has the benefit of offering a route network that involves more cities beyond the east coast. This offers flexibility for west coast travelers and may eliminate the need for you to do a domestic repositioning flight. Another nice thing about this option is that you can choose to fly Lufthansa first class on the long haul segment if there’s availability.
How To Book
You can book online at aircanada.com.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast <> Italy | Business | 70,000 + <$100 in taxes |
| US West Coast <> Italy | Business | 90,000 + <$100 in taxes |
| US East Coast <> Italy | First | 100,000 + <$100 in taxes |
| US West Coast <> Italy | First | 130,000 + <$100 in taxes |
Example Routes
| US West Coast | US East Coast |
|---|---|
| Seattle (SEA) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Frankfurt (FRA) | Washington D.C. (IAD) <> Venice (VCE) with a layover in Brussels (BRU) |
| Los Angeles (LAX) <> Florence (FLR) with a layover in Vienna (VIE) | New York (JFK) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Zurich (ZRH) |
Credit Card Transfer Partners
- Air Canada is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase UR, Amex MR, Capital One Miles, and Bilt.
Notes
- Chase and Amex occasionally have 20% transfer bonuses to Air Canada (check history here)
- Air Canada is known for having issues with partner availability, double check with a partner airline that your desired flight is available
Star Alliance via ANA
While ANA is a great program to use, it still has its fair share of downsides that I personally feel make it an inferior option compared to the other options.
ANA is actually one of the cheapest ways to book business class to Europe on Star Alliance members like Lufthansa and United. It will cost you 88,000 miles ROUND TRIP. That’s an incredible deal. But look at the taxes and fees…. $2200!!! That’s really not a good deal anymore. However, not all Star Alliance airlines have these absurd fees. If you can find availability on United Airlines, LOT Airlines, TAP Portugal, Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, or Turkish Airlines the fees will be more reasonable.
Cost
| Route | Cabin | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast <> Italy | Business | 88,000 + variable taxes |
Example Routes
| US West Coast | US East Coast |
|---|---|
| Seattle (SEA) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Montreal (YUL) | New Jersey (EWR) <> Rome (FCO) with a layover in Lisbon (LIS) |
How To Book
You can book online at ANA’s website.
Credit Card Transfer Partners
ANA is a 1:1 transfer partner with Amex MR.
Notes
These are the downsides of booking with ANA that prevent this from being a home run deal.
- High taxes and fuel surcharges. Expect to pay up to $1000+ on some airlines!
- Must book a round trip
- Amex MR does not transfer instantly to ANA (could take up to 3 days)
- Very hard to use website
Other Flight Options
British Airways
You can book British Airways business class from the US east coast to Rome via Cathay Pacific for 63,000 Asia miles and ~$300 in taxes. First class from the east coast is not a bad deal at 92,300 miles. However, flying business class and first class from the US west coast is not a good deal at 89,000 miles and 128,500 miles + ~450 in taxes respectively.
Iberia
You can book Iberia business class from the US east coast to Rome via their own program for 66,500 Avios and $143 in taxes.
Conclusion
There are lots of good ways to fly from the US to Italy in business class. In my opinion, Emirates has a slight edge over ITA Airways for the best business class experience flying to Italy. However, the cheapest option is to book Delta One via Virgin Atlantic. The most surprising thing to me when I was researching this is that the nonstop flights are cheaper than the connecting flights. Let me know what your favorite way to fly between the US and Italy is!
