Travelers looking for something a little off the beaten path have a new flight option to Italy’s Puglia region, an area known for its proximity to the Adriatic Sea, delectable food and historic medieval architecture.

Neos, the airline owned by Italian travel company Alpitour, will launch what it says is the first-ever nonstop service between Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) in the capital of Puglia and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on June 3. Initially, the flight will only depart New York on Tuesdays (Bari on Wednesdays) and operate through Oct. 15.

Neos will operate a Boeing 787-9 with 255 seats on the route. Its Dreamliners are configured with 28 “premium” seats similar to premium economy on other airlines, plus 327 economy seats, including 36 adults-only Economy Extra Plus seats and 18 Economy Extra seats, both of which offer extra legroom.

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“New York-Bari is much more than an air link,” Michele Emiliano, president of the Puglia region, said in a statement. “It is an embrace between Puglia and the world, a bridge that unites traditions, affection, heritage and opportunity, especially as many Americans are proud of their families’ roots in Puglia.”

While it might be far-flung for some travelers, Puglia was named one of The New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2019. The newspaper highlighted the region’s baroque architecture, culinary traditions and coastal Gargano National Park as some of its many reasons to visit.

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Flights and seats to Bari, Puglia’s main airport, grew by double digits — 21% and 31%, respectively — from 2019 to 2024, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. Ryanair drove much of that growth, adding over 2 million seats in the market during the period.

However, almost all of Bari’s new flights are within Europe. In 2024, the airport’s only intercontinental services were to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Israel.

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The new Neos flight stands to change that. If successful, the airline could add more flights in 2026. It could also signal to competitors like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines that Bari is a market Americans want to visit and prompt them to launch their own transatlantic nonstops.

Below are details of Neos’ new Bari-New York nonstop:

• JFK-BRI: Departs at 4 p.m. local time on Tuesdays and arrives at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesdays
• BRI-JFK: Departs at 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesdays and arrives at 1:50 p.m. local time the same day

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