Could American's new DFW catering kitchen help with on-time flights?
American Airlines will build a new kitchen for the catering operation at its Dallas/Fort Worth hub, with the carrier saying the project will make flight operations out of its home base more reliable.
American's current kitchen at DFW was constructed in 1982 and it is no longer sufficient to handle 900 departures from the airport each day.
The airline said the new kitchen — expected to go into operation in 2022 — will make a difference in its on-time operations at DFW.
"In addition to more space, the new kitchen will provide updated equipment and efficiencies to improve our catering operation, which improves our reliability and provides a better experience for our customers," Cedric Rockamore, American's vice president of DFW of hub operations said in a statement.
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American told the Associated Press that backups at the current kitchen were responsible for 2,300 flight delays at the airport between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year, or about 20 delays per day.
Those delays were part of a rough stretch for American, which struggled with on-time operations from spring into summer as it grappled with an alleged slowdown by mechanics, a pattern of stormy weather and the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. American's operations have since improved.
Going forward, American hopes the new $100 million state-of-the-art kitchen will both help accommodate its DFW growth and cater planes more efficiently for its growing DFW flight schedule.
The airport's Board of Directors approved the plan on Thursday. LSG Sky Chefs will continue to handle American's inflight catering out of Dallas when the new facility opens.
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