A Boeing 767 passenger aircraft of Delta Air Lines arrives from Dublin at JFK International Airport in Recent York because the Manhattan skyline looms within the background on Feb. 7, 2024.
Charly Triballeau | Afp | Getty Images
Delta Air Lines pulled some meal options from dozens of international flights on Wednesday hours after the carrier said reports of “spoiled” food on an Amsterdam-bound flight forced the plane to divert to Recent York.
Delta was only serving pasta within the essential cabin on about 75 international flights on Wednesday and an identical number on Thursday, in response to an airline spokeswoman.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Delta teams have proactively adjusted our in-flight meal service on plenty of international flights,” the spokeswoman said in an announcement to CNBC on Wednesday.
Delta apologized to customers over the report of spoiled food within the essential cabin on the Detroit-to-Amsterdam flight.
“This will not be the service Delta is thought for and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay of their travels,” Delta said.
In an email to staff on Wednesday, Ash Dhokte, who leads onboard service at Delta, said the airline is investigating what went flawed and that “immediate corrective actions have been implemented to avoid reoccurrence.”
Do&Co., a Delta caterer, didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
“As our last line of defense, please examine the dish before serving it and don’t serve any food which will have a contaminant,” Dhokte wrote, noting that onboard food safety incidents are “extremely rare.”
The incident occurred within the midst of the height summer travel season, when Delta and its rivals are fighting over travelers. Airlines serve hundreds of meals a day to customers and such incidents are rare, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel consultant and founding father of Atmosphere Research Group.
“Delta is taking prudent motion. When you will have a food scare you do not need anyone getting sick on a plane,” said Harteveldt. “Going to all pasta is the safest and smartest option.”
The airline industry is facing one other challenge: a possible strike by employees at major inflight caterer Gate Gourmet. Federal mediators released Gate Gourmet and its unions from mediation earlier this week, paving the best way for a possible strike at the top of July.
“Gate Gourmet caters for us at 19 domestic stations and we’re reviewing strategies to limit disruptions for you and our customers should an interruption occur,” Delta’s Dhokte said within the staff note Wednesday.
