On February 7, 2024, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 passenger plane arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport from Dublin, with the Manhattan skyline looming in the background.
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Delta Airlines On Wednesday, the airline said reports of “spoiled” food on a flight to Amsterdam forced the plane to be diverted to New York.
On Wednesday, Delta Air Lines was serving pasta only in the main cabin on about 75 international flights. It was unclear whether menu changes would continue Thursday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Delta team proactively made adjustments to in-flight food and beverage service on multiple international flights on Wednesday, July 3,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
Delta Air Lines has apologized to passengers for reports of spoiled food in the main cabin on a flight from Detroit to Amsterdam.
“This is not a service Delta is known for and we apologize for the inconvenience and delay this has caused our customers,” Delta said.
Ash Dhokte, Delta’s head of inflight services, said in an email to employees on Wednesday that the airline was investigating the issue and “has taken immediate corrective actions to avoid a recurrence.”
Delta’s catering provider Do&Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As our last line of defense, please inspect dishes before serving and do not serve any food that may contain contaminants,” Docter wrote, noting that food safety incidents on board ships are “extremely rare.”
The incident occurred during the peak summer travel season, when Delta Air Lines and its rivals are vying for passengers. Henry Harteveldt, a travel consultant and founder of Atmospheric Research Group, said airlines serve thousands of meals to passengers every day and such incidents are rare.
“Delta is taking prudent action. When you have a food scare, you don’t want people to get sick on the plane,” Harteveldt said. “Eating all pasta is the safest and smartest option.”
The airline industry is facing another challenge: Workers at major in-flight catering supplier Gate Gourmet may go on strike. Federal mediators earlier this week lifted Gate Gourmet and its union from mediation, paving the way for a possible strike in late July.
“Gate Gourmet serves us at 19 domestic stations and we are reviewing our strategies to limit disruption to you and our customers should an outage occur,” Delta’s Dhokte said in a note to employees on Wednesday.
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