Without a doubt, American Airlines’ most lucrative international market is London Heathrow (LHR), given that it’s also a hub for joint venture partner British Airways. London is a market where you’d think American would want to put its best foot forward. However, the airline is currently dealing with a major issue when it comes to catering at the airport, and passengers are noticing.
American isn’t locally catering flights at London Heathrow
JonNYC broke the story about how since Saturday, February 28, 2026, American hasn’t been catering flights out of Heathrow Airport, as the airline has (at least temporarily) cut ties with its catering provider at the airport. I didn’t write about this at first because I figured it would be resolved quickly, but nearly a week later, the issue persists.
American has historically used dnata for its catering, and it’s not entirely clear what’s going on. Some reports suggest that a mice infestation at the catering facility caused American to pause the agreement, while the catering company denies that (there’s a picture circulating online of a dead mouse in an American bread basket, though it’s not entirely clear if that’s real and/or when it’s from, so I’ll spare you).
In an internal memo, American simply states that that they “regularly evaluate suppliers to ensure they are providing the best experience and highest level of service for customers and team members.” Anyway, over the past week or so, American has radically altered its catering out of London Heathrow:
- Flights are now roundtrip catered from the United States, meaning that all food and drinks for the return flight are also prepared and loaded in the United States
- Because of the amount of time for which the food sits, the airline has modified catering, with fewer meal choices, no ice cream sundaes or seafood, etc.
- Since galley space is limited, catering has been reduced in both directions, so that there’s enough space for food and drinks
- Drinks have been modified as well, with reports of American now serving boxed wine in first & business class
AA:
“Unsure why, but until further notice all AA LHR departures will be double catered from the US. Bare minimum catering, including in premium cabins. Only protein or veg option. No ice cream. Understanding is all food will be flown in from the US.”Unconfirmed-ish
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) March 1, 2026 at 3:35 PM
“Currently on AA142 to LHR in J. Pre ordered meals honored but wine is boxed wine and bollinger is Cava. I couldn’t believe it when I saw boxes wine on the cart.”
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 11:58 AM
American seems to be emailing customers before their flights to let them know of these catering issues, with reader David sharing the following email, which even offers bonus miles:
American Airlines is making temporary adjustments to its inflight dining experience on flights to and from London Heathrow (LHR) due to a disruption in our catering operations.
We are working diligently with our local teams and suppliers to ensure our customers’ experience remains as consistent as possible during these temporary adjustments.
While we are making every effort to provide suitable alternatives, some meal items may be substituted, and we cannot guarantee availability of meal choices including pre-ordered and special meal requests.
As an apology for the inconvenience, we’d like to credit you with 10,000 AAdvantage® miles. This adjustment will be reflected in your account.
We encourage Flagship First and Flagship Business customers to visit our premium lounges ahead of departure, where they can also enjoy chef-curated meal offerings before their flight.
We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.
Stuff happens, but this is going on for quite some time
In fairness, it’s common for airlines to contract out catering to third parties. Sometimes there are indeed situations that require a catering contract to be paused, like if there are any issues with food safety or hygiene.
Assuming American paused this agreement due to some sort of food safety issue (rather than due to something related to lack of planning), then that’s fair enough. However, you’d think the airline would get a bit more creative in resolving this quickly, especially given what an important market this is for the airline. For that matter, you’d think joint venture partner British Airways could help out.
I see some people saying “oh, you’d think they could just divert some of the catering from canceled Middle East flights to these flights,” but it’s important to acknowledge it’s not that simple. Airline catering is incredibly complex, with each airline having their own plates, glasses, cutlery, etc., so they can’t just be used interchangeably. Still, this really is dragging on…
Bottom line
For nearly a week now, American has had major catering disruptions at London Heathrow, as the airline has seemingly paused its catering agreement. It’s anyone’s guess when this gets resolved, but in the meantime, American is roundtrip catering London flights from the United States. So if you’re in business class, expect boxed wine, a generally lower standard of food, and no seafood or ice cream sundaes.
But hey, if American is offering some bonus miles for the trouble, maybe those are worth more than the food or drinks you’re forgoing. 😉
What do you make of American’s Heathrow catering issues?
