LONDON— American Airlines (AA) is approaching the final stage of a seven-month catering disruption at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), with local catering expected to return across its operation by the end of October 2026.
The prolonged problem followed the abrupt end of the airline’s previous catering arrangement and was ultimately extended by a shortage of specialized aircraft catering trucks.
American Airlines has been gradually rebuilding its Heathrow catering operation with DO & CO after introducing temporary measures earlier this year.
The carrier now has 17 dedicated catering trucks, allowing more aircraft to receive complete local catering instead of carrying meals for both directions from the United States.
American Airlines Heathrow Catering Disruption
The disruption began in late February and became operationally significant in March after American ended its catering agreement with dnata at Heathrow.
The airline did not publicly confirm the reason for the sudden change, although reports at the time raised concerns about hygiene conditions at the previous catering operation.
With no immediate replacement capable of handling the scale of American’s Heathrow schedule, the airline resorted to double provisioning.
Aircraft departing the United States carried enough food, drinks and other catering supplies for both the outbound flight and the subsequent return journey from London.
That workaround created additional pressure because widebody aircraft galleys have limited storage capacity.
American therefore had to reduce some onboard service while flight attendants also faced additional work associated with the unusual catering arrangements.
DO & CO Takes Over
American began moving its Heathrow operation to DO & CO in April, initially restoring more normal catering in premium cabins before expanding the arrangement.
By late April, DO & CO was supplying meals across American’s Heathrow departures, although equipment limitations meant that the transition did not immediately eliminate every service restriction.
The main obstacle was not simply the availability of prepared meals. DO & CO and American needed enough specialized high-loader catering trucks to move those meals from the catering facility to aircraft operating on a large international schedule.
American later selected DO & CO as its permanent Heathrow caterer, giving the carrier a longer-term solution rather than relying on temporary arrangements.
DO & CO has also expanded its Heathrow airline catering business, including contracts with other major international carriers.
Full Catering By October
The latest operational update shows that the transition is now entering its final phase. American has secured five additional catering trucks, while another seven are expected shortly, taking its dedicated Heathrow fleet to 17 vehicles.
Boeing 777-200 flights have already returned to full return catering.
American expects Boeing 787-9P departures to complete the transition in mid-October, followed by the remaining Heathrow operation later in the month, PYOK flagged.
The carrier expects all Heathrow departures to use local catering by the end of October, ending the need to routinely carry food for two transatlantic sectors.
Alcoholic beverages will remain an exception because American normally double-provisions those products from the United States.
The resolution should therefore remove one of the most unusual operational disruptions American has faced at Heathrow in 2026. The final stage now depends largely on completing the remaining aircraft and equipment transition rather than finding another catering provider.
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