Flights originating from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
on Saturday were believed to have no catering onboard due to an alleged “surprise” food inspection. According to passengers, 
American Airlines
, 
Delta Air Lines
, and 
United Airlines
were affected after the inspection “failed.”
The news comes after multiple passengers were sickened from spoiled food in July on a Delta-operated flight from Detroit to Amsterdam. The crew discovered that the main cabin meals had black mold, which prompted a diversion to New York.
“…and they failed”
Bill Hanley was traveling on American in first class from DTW to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
on Saturday. In a Facebook post, the passenger explained the ordeal.
“Fun one today. Detroit to Dallas the pilot announced that the FDA did a surprise inspection of food operations at the airport and they failed. So there was no catering for any flights out of Detroit today. I was in first and had a snack box. No biggie. Kinda scary though.”
Photo: Eric Glenn | Shutterstock
Hanley also mentioned that the inspection “happened last night” and heard that United had also announced the same news to its passengers. Despite the passenger referring to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), others suggested that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or local health agencies performed the inspection.
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One person commented that a Delta flight from DTW to Tampa International Airport (TPA)
was also uncatered, including beverages.
“The reason a Delta flight to Tampa was not catered. But still a mystery why there were no beverages on that flight,” they explained.
A DTW spokesperson told Simple Flying on Saturday that “airlines have their own contracts with catering companies.” It is unclear where the inspection occurred, or what may have violated the food examinations. The exact caterer is also unknown.
Photo: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock
Simple Flying initially contacted American on Saturday, and Delta and United on Sunday, but none of the carriers responded to requests for comment. All three airlines provide in-flight hot meals in first class
on domestic flights
, depending on the mileage and length of the flight. On flights of shorter durations, only pre-packaged snacks or snack boxes are served.
LSG Sky Chefs & gategoumet
LSG Sky Chefs
, owned by the LSG Group, is one of the largest airline catering and hospitality companies in the world. Delta, which is DTW’s largest operator, first partnered with the company in 2005. When its catering contract was extended in 2019 for another five years, LSG Sky Chefs said its customer service center at DTW would “serve an average of 260 flights and produce about 10,000 meals per day” for the carrier. LSG’s Detroit facility has around 540 employees, and the company also caters American’s flights. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline founded the catering company in 1942.
gategourmet, a subsidiary brand of gategroup, is also a large in-flight meals provider. It also caters food at airport lounges and has a facility in Detroit. According to UFCW Local 401, the union representing its workers in Edmonton, Canada, the company provides catering for United’s flights.
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