It's always happy news when an airline makes it easier and cheaper for Americans to reach new destinations.
This week, Italy-based Neos Airlines announced that it will soon inaugurate what it calls the "first-ever nonstop fights" between the United States and Bari, in the luscious southeastern Italian region of Puglia. (If you're trying to imagine where that's located, picture the map of Italy and put a dot on the coast at the top of the heel of the boot.)
In addition to being the main air gateway to this region of azure water, rugged seaside villages, and buttery burrata, Bari is a prime jumping-off spot for ferries to Greece and Croatia. Plus, the port city is just an hour's bus ride from the honeycomb of caverns in the ancient inland city of Matera.
Neos will fly Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners configured with 355 seats. The airline's first season of scheduled flights will last from June 3 to October 15, 2025.
The flights will be weekly only, leaving New York on Tuesdays and returning from Italy on Wednesdays. But the savings—and, moreover, the convenience, since the only other flights between the United States and Bari require a change of planes somewhere—may be worth restricting your travels to those days.
Since this service hasn't started yet, we haven't been able to try it out. But we're finding the prices for Neos tickets are slightly lower than those offered by other carriers—and those competitors require at least two flights each way.
The lowest price Neos offers ("Economy Promo") costs about $486 each way, but that's without checked luggage, so almost no one will actually attain that price. We found the lowest ticket category that gets you a checked bag, Economy Relax, priced at about $666 each way in June but $526 each way in October.
Here are the ticket categories on Neos for a flight in mid-August, as well as what each class includes.
If you pay for checked baggage à la carte on Neos flights from the U.S., it'll cost you $50 to $70 per piece for items under 15kg (33 pounds) or $80 to $100 per piece with a maximum of 23kg (50 pounds).
Neos has been flying around Europe, and around Italy in particular, for almost 25 years, but the carrier only entered the North American market in 2021. Neos also operates flights between Toronto and Milan, and its domestic flights can connect North American travelers to a list of lesser-served Italian cities.
You can buy these flights at the Neos Airlines website (www.neosair.com) or from travel advisors.
