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ITA Airways Adds New Rome-Houston Route Ahead Of Star Alliance Switch

December 4, 2025 John Cushma 55

New Nonstop Link Between Rome & Houston

ITA Airways is continuing its North American push with a brand-new route between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Houston (IAH), launching in spring 2026. The timing lines up perfectly with the airline’s shift toward Star Alliance and deeper cooperation with United.

Houston will become ITA’s eighth destination in the United States, joining Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. For Houston, it’s also the first-ever nonstop link to Rome, which is a pretty big milestone.

Schedule & Aircraft Details

The new service kicks off as a 3x weekly route, with more frequencies added for the peak summer season:

Planned schedule:

The route covers 5,682 miles, with a block time of 12hr20min westbound and 10hr40min eastbound.

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Flights will be operated by the Airbus A330-900neo, with 291 seats in a three-class layout:

  • 30 business class seats

  • 24 premium economy seats

  • 237 economy seats

ITA’s A330-900neo cabins are one of the airline’s big selling points right now, and their long-haul business class is genuinely competitive across the Atlantic.

Why Houston Is A Smart Choice

On paper, Houston is a very logical addition.

  • Huge United hub: IAH is one of United’s most important hubs, and ITA is in the process of shifting from SkyTeam over to Star Alliance and, eventually, into the Star transatlantic joint venture with United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, SWISS, etc.

  • Connectivity goldmine: Once that cooperation matures, this flight won’t just be about Houston–Rome — it becomes a one-stop option between Rome and dozens of US cities via IAH.

  • No direct competition: United doesn’t currently operate Rome–Houston, so ITA can enter the market without facing a head-to-head nonstop competitor on the route.

Strategically, this fits perfectly with the airline’s plan to use Rome Fiumicino as a stronger connecting hub for traffic between North America, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

What This Means For Travelers

For travelers in Texas and across the southern US, this route brings a few clear benefits:

  • Nonstop access to Rome for both leisure and business travelers

  • Easy onward connections to the rest of Italy and Europe via ITA’s Rome hub

  • A new SkyTeam-free option from Houston for Italy-bound flyers who prefer Star/United once all the alliance pieces are in place

Onboard, the A330-900neo should offer:

  • A modern business class with fully flat beds

  • A proper premium economy cabin (which many US carriers still lack on some routes)

  • A reasonably up-to-date economy product with seatback entertainment

Bottom Line

ITA Airways is launching a new Rome–Houston route as of May 2026, operated by the Airbus A330-900neo and ramping up to five weekly flights for the summer season.

The move dovetails neatly with ITA’s transition from SkyTeam to Star Alliance and its growing ties with United. Houston is a huge Star hub, doesn’t currently have Rome service, and offers strong connecting potential across the US.

For ITA, this is exactly the kind of route that supports its broader strategy: build up Rome as a serious transatlantic hub, lean into alliance synergies, and keep growing its North American footprint in a targeted way.

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