More than 200 Delta flights from Detroit Metropolitan Airport had to cancel their in-flight meal service after the airline was ordered to close its food service facility.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a routine inspection of the kitchens and discovered a “food safety issue” where the flight meals were prepared.
The FDA ordered the immediate closure of the facility, prompting the airline to publicly state that it is now changing the way it prepares both hot and cold food so it can restore meal service on flights.
Delta would not say specifically what violations food inspectors found in the kitchens of its Detroit food catering partner, Do&Co, that they deemed so serious.
Meal service was canceled on more than 200 Delta flights from Detroit Metropolitan Airport this weekend after the airline was ordered to close its meal service
Delta would not say exactly which violations food inspectors found so serious that they justified a complete halt to meal preparation
On Monday’s flights, passengers were treated to Panera Bread sandwiches and offered a paltry 2,500 SkyMiles in compensation
“During a recent inspection of a Detroit Metro Airport kitchen, Delta’s catering partner was notified of a food safety issue within the facility. “Delta and its catering partner immediately halted hot food production and subsequently suspended all operations at the facility,” the airline said in a statement.
“Hot food and other supplies on board will be managed from other facilities,” the airline said, noting that “we will continue to take the necessary precautions to ensure food safety.”
Delta typically only offers hot meals on flights over 900 miles and full meal service on flights over 2,300 miles.
On Monday’s flights, passengers were treated to Panera Bread sandwiches and offered a paltry 2,500 SkyMiles in compensation.
This isn’t the first time this year that the cleanliness of Delta’s Detroit kitchens has been questioned.
In July, a flight from Detroit to Amsterdam had to make an emergency landing in New York after passengers were served moldy chicken, causing several passengers to become ill.
Some photos taken by passengers and flight attendants show black mold growing on the chicken.
One passenger who ate the food said they didn’t finish it “because it tasted really sour.”
In July, a flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was forced to make an emergency landing in New York after passengers were served moldy chicken, causing several passengers to become ill
This isn’t the first time the cleanliness of Delta’s kitchens in Detroit has been questioned. Dozens of meals appeared to be moldy in the photo during a flight to Europe in July
On another occasion, a passenger posted a photo of a moldy egg sandwich on a Delta flight from Honolulu to Detroit
Medics met the plane after it landed at JFK and provided aid to 14 passengers and 10 flight crew.
Delta says the crew consulted medical experts who recommended the diversion.
65-year-old Nancy Kirchoff was on the flight to Amsterdam with her husband when she made an emergency landing at JFK Airport early Wednesday morning.
The pilot announced they were turning around because there was “some kind of food problem and people were sick,” Kirchoff told DailyMail.com.
“They said they saw mold on the chicken,” she added. “I asked if anyone had gotten sick and they told us no one was affected, but the pilots both ate the chicken.”