Delta is adding two new transatlantic routes for summer 2027, and both link mid-sized US cities with two of Europe's heaviest-hitting tourist cities. Starting 7 May 2027, the airline will fly four times a week from Boston Logan to Venice Marco Polo, using an Airbus A330-300 through to 29 October. Then from 8 June, Detroit Metro gets three weekly round-trips to Athens on an A330-200, running until 28 October.

For Boston travellers, this is a third nonstop option into Venice on Delta, alongside existing service from Atlanta and New York JFK. It's a genuinely handy route: you land right at Marco Polo and can hop a water taxi into the city, skipping the usual fly-into-Rome-then-train routine. Athens, meanwhile, becomes Delta's fourth US gateway to Greece, joining Atlanta, Boston and JFK. Some flyers treat Athens as the destination; plenty more use it as the springboard for ferries to the islands.

These two routes sit alongside Delta's previously announced Austin-to-Paris service, its first long-haul flight from the Texas city, bringing the airline to three new European routes for summer 2027. The pattern here is different from rival United's, which is sending smaller A321XLR jets to lesser-known spots. Delta is sticking with widebodies and doubling down on proven favourites across Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Portugal.

Arguably the more interesting news for deal-hunters is the calendar. Delta is stretching its transatlantic season earlier into spring, responding to a real shift: more people now visit Europe in April, May, October and even November to dodge the June-July heat and crush-level crowds. In 2027, the Minneapolis and Detroit routes to Rome will start in early March, Seattle-Rome returns in April, and Catania, Porto, Prague and Copenhagen flights all get earlier kickoffs too.

Why should this matter to you? If you live near Boston or Detroit, nonstop access to Venice or Athens removes a connecting hassle entirely. And if you have any flexibility at all, flying in shoulder season is where the value is: airfare and award redemptions tend to dip just as the weather softens and the queues shrink. Booking one of these routes in May or late September, rather than peak July, could mean a cheaper seat and a Venice you can actually walk through.