American Airlines Finally Has A Permanent Heathrow Caterer After 5 Months Of Stopgaps

Published Aug 4, 2026, 3:03 AM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. Austrian catering company DO & CO Aktiengesellschaft has been selected by American Airlines to be its permanent London Heathrow Airport (LHR) caterer, five months after the oneworld carrier had to adjust its catering options at the airline's largest international outstation. DO & CO has already been temporarily catering on several services for American from Heathrow, however now they have been named as the airline's permanent solution. Earlier in February, American was forced to adjust its catering operations at Heathrow after its previous catering company, dnata, was alleged to have been found with mice discovered in food preparation areas. Conversely, independent audits in the facility confirmed that the facility met all food hygiene and safety requirements. Sweeping Changes To American Airlines Heathrow Catering Credit: Shutterstock Following the abrupt decision to look for alternative catering solutions in February, travelers onboard American flights departing from Heathrow faced several sweeping changes that ensured food safety regulations were met on its US-bound flights. This came after the rodent revelation, which initially saw American double-provisioning on services from the United States to cater for the return flight. Following this move, it resulted in a slimmed-down menu onboard, only carrying essential foodstocks. Preordered meals were off the menu, while vegetarian options remained. Seafood and ice cream were also removed from service, substituted for other easier options. With DO & CO now set to permanently come onboard, aviation insider JonNYC shared on X that it is expected that it could take up to four months to complete the full transition, with new catering trucks set to arrive at Heathrow by late August or September to begin the process. DO & CO Adds American Airlines As Its Latest Airline Partner Credit: Shutterstock DO & CO already has several airlines to which it provides onboard catering for, having supplied Austrian Airlines and Turkish Airlinesfor almost two decades (since 2007). As a joint venture, Turkish DO & CO supplies Turkish operations and has supplied meals to its flights and lounges since 2007. Additionally, meals served on ÖBB (the Austrian Federal Railways) have been supplied by the caterer since 2012. British Airways has been supplied by DO & CO since 2018. For American, the move to adopt DO & CO as its new preferred caterer will support the airline's expansive international operations at Heathrow. The airline operates multiple daily flights from Britain's busiest airport, with flights to nine year-round destinations, with an additional seasonal service to Phoenix in the Northern Hemisphere summer season. According to the DO & CO website, the caterer works with more than 60 airline partners (but not limited to, and not already mentioned) including Aeromexico, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, All Nippon Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Southern, Delta Air Lines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, EVA Air, Finnair, Gulf Air, Hainan Airlines, Iberia, JetBlue, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Oman Air, Pegasus Airlines, Qatar Airways, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways. How Do Airline Meals Work? Credit: Shutterstock As suggested by DO & CO, the caterer is able to work with customized onboard menus which are planned and designed to fit every market and price bracket. The caterer can adapt to the philosophy of each carrier, and its concepts can then be curated and individually designed on an ongoing basis. When in full operation, airline meals are partially cooked through mass-production ground processing facilities. The dishes are then rapidly chilled, with exact on-board reheating instructions. Meals are usually developed to account for altered taste perceptions that can be experienced at high altitudes. American's decision to permanently use DO & CO for all departing flights at Heathrow will bring an end to almost five months of stopgaps for the airline, as a full onboard menu is restored for flights departing across the Atlantic.