In a shocking move that made one fear whatever they would be served in the air, Delta Airlines canceled meal service on hundreds of its flights following an inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This means suspension of both US and international routes.
The airline gave its ground as concerns raised by the FDA inspection on one of its catering partners’ facilities. Consequently, passengers of almost all commercial flights would be deprived of meal options and more so those traveling long haul. The service of meals extended to passengers onboard long-haul flights would be effectively denied.
The inspection reportedly yielded a number of infractions connected with food safety and hygiene in one of the major catering facilities of Delta. Delta did not publicly detail the infractions but sources claim that the infractions mostly surround issues of food handling and preparation. The airline said that the safety of its passengers is of utmost importance and said that the decision to ground its meal services was made out of an abundance of caution.
The suspension of meal service has already brought about hundreds of flights, most of which were in the domestic network of Delta and a few others in international routes. Customers who are onboard the affected flights were already pre-alerted concerning changes by means of email, SMS, or through the application of the airlines. Some customers have frustrated at short notice, especially for those with long flights in which meal service is quite obviously part of what passengers would anticipate getting while flying.
In this regard, Delta had assured its passengers that even though full meal service was temporarily out of the question, the airline would then serve light snacks and beverages to ensure that “passengers have at least some form of sustenance.” But many regular flyers and premium cabin passengers are complaining about a lack of options.
This sudden stoppage of meal service has elicited mixed reactions from the passengers. While some seem to appreciate this commitment by the airline to ensuring its safety, others have been frustrated with the situation.
Most people who are used to taking long-haul flights often get accustomed to having meal service on their travels. The lack of hot meals across the board for everyone elicited concerns about the quality of service by the airline.
Delta is working aggressively with the FDA and its caterers to resolve concerns raised by an inspection. The airline has also taken the initiative to self-audit their food safety practices to ensure that such problems would not arise again. As a precaution, Delta has asked its passengers to prepare ahead and bring their food and beverages along on any flights experiencing such problems.
As for resuming full meal service, the carrier has not given any details on timelines. Meanwhile, Delta is assuring its passengers that it would continue to give constant updates on all the changes and improvements. At present, its major focus is on clearing things out of the way quickly, with high standards of safety and quality in all their food services.
Passengers whose journeys are impacted by the suspension can contact the customer service at Delta for additional assistance or to make advance arrangements for meal vouchers that can be redeemed in airports in advance of flights.
