You’re going to want to avoid flying American Airlines in and out of London Heathrow over the short term. Due to an issue with their London caterer – I understand they’re switching providers – they are currently double catering flights departing the U.S. and using that catering for the return flight, instead of bringing on food in London.
- Hopefully the onboard chillers are working on the plane, since by the time of the second service on Westbound flights that food has been on the aircraft for quite some time.
- It’s going to mean less food and less varied food because there’s simply not enough space in American Airlines galleys for two full flights’ worth of food.
American Airlines Catering Ex-London Heathrow
American Airlines confirmed the situation to me earlier. As I understand it, passengers can expect ‘dine and rest’ single tray service in premium cabins. Do not expect pre-ordered meals to be catered. And you will only be able to choose between a protein and a vegeterian option. There won’t be any seafood, because of the risk it could go bad. This also means, by the way, no American Airlines 100th Anniversary meals.
Aviation watchdog JonNYC offers a little color on what to expect as a result.
AA:
“Unsure why, but until further notice all AA LHR departures will be double catered from the US. Bare minimum catering, including in premium cabins. Only protein or veg option. No ice cream. Understanding is all food will be flown in from the US.”Unknown duration on this,…
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) March 1, 2026
If you’re flying an Airbus A380 on a Middle Eastern carrier, you’ll see an incredible amount of galley space and the ability to load plenty of food. They’ll have more on board than they can often serve on a flight, providing different options for passengers (especially in premium cabins):
Etihad Airbus A380
In contrast, American Airlines (like U.S. airlines generally) optimizes for squeezing as many seats onto planes as possible. And that means squeezing galley space. Giving up the space for ice cream may seem minor, but actually makes a difference in the overall experience. Passengers love comforts like ice cream!
American Airlines Ice Cream Served Out Of London
In fact, in preparation for their new Airbus A321XLR which will soon fly transatlantic with very little galley space, last year the airline experimented with dropping bread and butter from coach and premium economy on some flights to London to see what they could get away with.
American Airlines Transatlantic Breakfast
Here’s the forward galley on American’s Boeing 787-9P.
American Airlines Boeing 787-9P
Tight galleys aren’t just a U.S. carrier issue. British Airways even dropped ice cream from business class on some Airbus A350 flights in 2020 because there wasn’t enough room for meals in galleys that were designed so tightly to cram in extra seats.
Hopefully the American Airlines Heathrow catering situation is short-lived. In the meantime, adjust your expectations or book elsewhere due to reduced service levels to and from London to accommodate the lack of local catering in London.
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