“Out of an abundance of caution, Delta teams proactively adjusted inflight meal service on a number of international flights on Wednesday, July 3,” a Delta spokeswoman said in a statement to CNBC.
Delta has apologized to customers after reports of spoiled food in the main cabin of a flight from Detroit to Amsterdam.
“This is not the service Delta is known for, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and delay to their flights,” Delta said.
In an email to employees on Wednesday, Ash Docty, who leads in-flight service for Delta, said the airline was investigating the error and that “immediate corrective actions have been implemented to avoid a recurrence.”
Do&Co, one of Delta’s catering companies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As our last line of defense, please inspect your plate before serving and do not serve any food that may contain contaminants,” Docty wrote, noting that food safety incidents on board are “extremely rare.”
The incident occurred in the middle of the peak summer travel season, when Delta and its competitors battle for passengers. Airlines serve thousands of meals to customers every day, and such incidents are rare, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel consultant and founder of Atmosphere Research Group.
“Delta is taking a prudent approach. When you have a food scare, you don’t want anyone getting sick on the plane,” Harteveldt said. “Going all pasta is the safest and smartest option.”
The airline industry faces another challenge: a potential strike by workers at major in-flight catering company Gate Gourmet. Federal mediators released Gate Gourmet and its unions from mediation earlier this week, paving the way for a potential strike in late July.
“Gate Gourmet services our 19 domestic stations and we are reviewing strategies to minimize disruptions to you and our customers in the event of an outage,” Delta’s Dhokte said in a staff memo on Wednesday.
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