Flight attendants at American Airlines are demanding more money to work flights to London Heathrow because of extra work caused by the carrier’s decision to ditch its long-standing catering supplier at the airport.
Last month, it was revealed that American Airlines was experiencing a catering meltdown on flights out of London Heathrow after the Texas-based carrier suddenly suspended its catering contract.
The airline has refused to explain why it dropped its catering supplier, although there have been reports of serious hygiene issues in the contractor’s kitchens. An unverified photo appeared to show a dead rodent in a Business Class bread basket on a flight from London Heathrow.
Without a catering supplier at London Heathrow, American Airlines initially started to ‘double cater’ its flights, meaning that flights to London were departing the United States with the catering for both the outbound and return leg.
Double catering is unusual on long-haul transatlantic flights, given the limited amount of space available in aircraft galleys and the difficulties in keeping food fresh for an extended period of time.
British Airways came to the partial rescue of American Airlines, lending space from its contract with upmarket airline catering supplier Do&Co to provide fresh supplies for Business Class and the first meal service in Premium Economy.
Service remains adjusted in Economy and the second meal service in Premium Economy while American Airlines works to sign up a new catering supplier, or resolve the issue it has with its existing kitchen.
Responding to the ongoing issues, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) told its New York-based members at the end of last week:
“The current conditions have materially changed how service is executed, and the added burden, particularly from double provisioning and modified service flows, has created a significantly increased and often unpredictable workload.”
“There is no question that Flight Attendants working these flights are doing more work under more difficult conditions, without any corresponding adjustment to staffing or compensation, and that is not acceptable,” the memo continued.
“While we acknowledge management’s efforts to stabilize the catering issue for LHR and restore service, the reality is that crews continue to operate under conditions that are far more demanding than those originally scheduled.”
Earlier this month, the union filed a formal grievance demanding additional compensation for flight attendants working flights to London.
For context, American’s operation at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is huge. The carrier operates up to 19 flights per day between Heathrow and nine US cities.
American Airlines accounts for nearly a quarter of all seats available between Heathrow and the United States, and in 2024, the carrier is estimated to have carried 14.5 million passengers between the US and London.
The good news is that the new Business Class catering provided by Do&Co appears to have gone down really well with passengers. Whether American looks to turn this arrangement into permanent remain to be seen, however,
Don’t understand are they not already getting paid to work the flight??