American Airlines delayed 2,300 flights at DFW Airport this summer because of catering

American Airlines had a rough summer clashing with union mechanics and coping with the grounding of the 737 Max, both of which led to hundreds of cancellations and thousands of delays.

But it turns out a major problem, at least at DFW International Airport, was getting food and beverages out of the kitchen and onto planes.

Some 2,300 American Airlines flights were delayed between Memorial Day and Labor Day at DFW Airport because of delays with its catering operation, the airline confirmed Tuesday.

The large number of catering delays came up in a DFW Airport board meeting Tuesday as plans were discussed for a new $100 million flight kitchen on the property.

“There will be a similar challenge next summer,” said Jeff Benvegnu, the airport’s vice president of real estate

American Airlines contracts with LSG Sky Chefs for catering operations, which includes hot meals for customers along with loading sodas, water, and snacks onto carts. LSG Sky Chefs, which also works with carriers such as Delta and United, deferred questions about the delays to American Airlines.

LSG Sky Chefs union employees have been targeting American Airlines in recent months over low pay, saying the airline’s contracts make it difficult for them to get livable wages and affordable medical benefits.

American is asking the airport for permission to lease 21 acres to build a new kitchen facility that, among other things, would be bigger and have better temperature control for food preparation. American would build the flight kitchen on airport property and lease it back to its catering contractor.

The existing facility, built-in 1982, isn’t equipped to handle the increased number of flights American now operates out of DFW.

American peaked at 900 flights a day this summer, including flights from regional partners such as Envoy and SkyWest. The current flight kitchen only handles work for American but is still over capacity with about 100 new flights a day being added in 2019.

American Airlines struggled with industry-leading rates of cancellations and delays this summer, and leaders have vowed to improve operations. It blamed more than 11,000 delays and cancellations nationwide on an alleged work slowdown by union mechanics. It also canceled over 100 flights a day because it was without its Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

American is DFW Airport’s largest operator, accounting for about 70% of all passenger and flight traffic.

American didn’t say whether the delays cited in the flight kitchen proposal fit the U.S. Department of Transportation definition of delays, which is 15 minutes or longer, or were shorter delays that could push back a flight by just a few minutes.

American Airlines had 30,262 departure delays at DFW Airport between January and September of this year, its highest rate since 2013.

By Kyle Arnold