United Airlines adds Puglia route as US-Italy travel booms

United Airlines has announced a new seasonal direct route to Puglia for 2027, part of a broader expansion of US-Italy connections that signals growing American appetite for Italy's south.

The airline will also add two new direct routes from the New York area to Sardinia and Sicily, plus a new service from Washington DC to Milan, according to The Local Italy. The Puglia connection marks a significant step for a region that has long sought to attract long-haul visitors beyond its traditional European markets.

For Puglia, the announcement is a concrete sign that the region's tourism push is paying off. The whitewashed towns of the Salento peninsula, the trulli of Alberobello and the Adriatic coastline have been drawing increasing international attention, but direct air links from North America have been slow to follow.