ITA Airways and United Airlines announce new code-share agreement to increase connectivity between Italy and the USA, enhancing travel options for passengers of both carriers. 

Code-share tickets are already available for purchase from yesterday, for travel beginning on September 15th. 

The agreement supports ITA Airways’ network expansion strategy, which focuses on increasing long-haul connections and expanding the number of intercontinental destinations accessible from its Rome-Fiumicino hub. The goal is to seize opportunities in growing markets and meet the demand of an increasingly international customer base. The code-share with United Airlines is fully aligned with ITA Airways’ plan to strengthen its offering in North America. 

“The code-share agreement with United Airlines represents a significant step forward in ITA Airways’ strategy to expand its network to new intercontinental destinations", said Joerg Eberhart, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways. "Through this partnership, we are strengthening our presence in the US market –our second most important after the domestic one– by offering passengers the opportunity to reach additional destinations in the United States via connections granted by our new important partner, United Airlines, and we will be happy to carry American passengers on our flights from Rome-Fiumicino to Italian and international destinations. This initiative is part of a broader growth plan in international markets, which is expected to progress with ITA Airways joining Star Alliance in 2026, following continued integration into the Lufthansa Group. We are proud to enhance our travel offering through this synergy with United Airlines". 

“United has served Italy for over 33 years and today offers non-stop services from Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice and Palermo to the US”, said Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances. “ITA Airways and United share a commitment to offering our customers more choices, more destinations, and more opportunities to explore –and with this new loyalty and code-share cooperation, our customers will benefit from even greater connectivity and a more seamless travel experience when travelling on each other’s networks". 

The partnership brings numerous benefits to ITA Airways passengers, including the chance of purchasing a single ticket for seamless travel to their final destination on connecting flights operated by the US carrier, on which the AZ code will be added. Likewise, United Airlines customers will enjoy the same benefits when travelling on ITA Airways-operated flights, which will carry the UA code. 

Along with the announcement of this code-share agreement comes the added benefit for passengers of earning and redeeming points in their respective frequent flyer programs, Volare for ITA Airways and MileagePlus for United Airlines. Passengers of both loyalty programs will be able to access lounges depending on their tier. 

Through this collaboration, ITA Airways passengers will gain the opportunity to explore new destinations across the American continent via United Airlines, including Dallas (DFW), Denver (DEN), Honolulu (HNL), Houston (IAH), and Newark (EWR), complementing ITA Airways’ current Summer 2025 US schedule, which includes flights to Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York-"JFK", San Francisco (SFO), and Washington (IAD). Meanwhile, United Airlines passengers will enjoy expanded travel options not only throughout Italy -where they can connect to popular domestic destinations such as Bari, Bologna, Florence , Catania, and Turin- but also across Europe and beyond, enabling more connection options to Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Linate through United’s gateways in Europe.