American Airlines’ catering problems at London Heathrow appear to be getting worse, not better. What began as an unexplained disruption has now turned into a full-blown service breakdown on some of the airline’s most important routes.

American Airlines London Heathrow Catering Problems Continue As Long-Term Fix Remains Unclear

As I previously reported, American Airlines has been experiencing significant catering disruptions on flights departing London Heathrow (LHR).

Instead of loading meals locally in London, American has been “double catering” flights from the United States, meaning food for both the outbound and return journey is being loaded at the U.S. origin airport.

Aircraft galleys simply are not designed to hold two full long-haul catering loads. As a result, service levels have been dramatically reduced in every cabin.

Reports from passengers and crew indicate that:

• Premium cabins are receiving simplified “single tray” meal service
• Meal choices have been reduced to a protein or vegetarian option
• Pre-ordered meals are often not being honored
• Some premium cabin items like ice cream have been removed entirely

Premium catering may be a first world problem, but these London routes are some of American’s most important and lucrative routes, including services to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Miami.

And yet right now the onboard experience resembles a pandemic-era service downgrade with no end in site.

AA has also failed to provide details on what is going on beyond an internal memo to flight attendants that it is “making temporary adjustments” to catering in LHR “due to a disruption in our catering operations.”

The disruption appears tied to American’s catering provider at Heathrow, dnata, although the exact cause of the breakdown remains murky. A widely-circulated photo by JonNYC suggested a rodent concern involving the catering facility, although dnata has strongly denied those allegations and says its operations continue to meet food safety standards.

Whatever the precise trigger, the operational workaround is clearly not sustainable…

Could American Airlines Switch To DO & CO At Heathrow?

If American Airlines ultimately decides to move away from dnata in London, one logical long-term option would be DO & CO.

The Austrian catering company already operates a major facility at Heathrow and provides inflight meals for several premium airlines, including British Airways on its Heathrow departures. That connection is particularly relevant because British Airways and American Airlines operate a transatlantic joint venture across the Atlantic and heavily sell one another’s flights.

Not only does DO & CO already work with BA (and Iberia) at LHR, but it it generally very highly regarded as a quality supplier.

Of course, switching to DO & CO would not automatically solve American’s catering issues. The quality of airline food ultimately comes down to budget. Even the best caterer cannot produce great meals if the airline is unwilling to pay for them.

But if American is looking for operational stability in London, partnering with the same catering provider as its joint-venture partner would at least make strategic sense…

The Bigger Issue: Heathrow Is Too Important For This To Continue

The real problem here is not just the food itself.

London Heathrow is one of American Airlines’ most important international markets. These routes carry a mix of high-value business travelers, premium leisure passengers, and connecting traffic across Europe and beyond.

This is supposed to be the airline’s flagship international network.

The temporary contingency plan in place for a week now might be understandable for a day or two during a unforeseen disruption, but the longer this situation drags on, the harder it becomes to explain to customers paying thousands of dollars for a business class ticket why they are receiving meals that look like this:

Of course every cloud has a silver lining and it seems that despite boxed wines and Cava replacing Champagne, the pre-arrival meals have improved:

CONCLUSION

American Airlines’ Heathrow catering disruption may have begun as a temporary operational issue, but it is quickly turning into a reputational problem, precisely at a time the carrier cannot afford such slip-ups as it tries to better compete against Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Flying meals across the Atlantic to cover both directions of a flight is a clever short-term workaround, but it inevitably leads to reduced service levels and unhappy passengers. If American wants to restore confidence in its flagship transatlantic routes, it will need a stable long-term catering solution in London.

Whether that means repairing its relationship with dnata or exploring alternatives like DO & CO, one thing is clear: American cannot afford for this situation to continue.

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