Delta Air Lines Recently Got Reported to the CDC. Here’s Why.

Delta Air Lines is staving off its latest bit of bad press after an incident that resulted in the travel giant being reported to the CDC. This latest move isn’t the first time the airline has faced scrutiny for its passengers’ health issues. Let’s take a look at what’s going on now.

Delta Air Lines Flight to Boston Was the Culprit

According to the Boston Globe, on Sunday, Nov. 24, two aircraft landed at Boston Logan Airport (BOS) simultaneously, with reports of sick passengers. Two individuals were eventually sent to undergo additional care after emergency services teams arrived promptly and were on site.

Early on Sunday afternoon, the planes, which were run by Delta Air Lines and Avianca, touched down within 30 minutes of one another. A representative for the Massachusetts Port Authority stated that the calls were made out of a sense of caution when Simple Flying contacted them for comment.

“Massport Fire responded to two flights that came in around the same time yesterday afternoon with passengers complaining of illness,” the statement read. “We reached out to the CDC out of an abundance of caution.”

San Salvador, the Central American capital of El Salvador, was the origin of the Avianca service. At 07:56 on Sunday morning, the Airbus A320 (registered N902AV) took off from El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (SAL), a little later than planned. Although there were no other problems on the aircraft, an airline representative acknowledged that a passenger was ill in a statement to Simple Flying.

The second flight landed in Massachusetts less than 30 minutes later. Delta Air Lines flight 225 from Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) was the service in question. The seven-hour Airbus A330-900neo flight left France at 12:53, a little over an hour later than planned. A Delta Air Lines representative who was contacted for comment stated that no passengers had reported being ill and that there had been no subsequent cancellations or delays.

Meal Service Suspended for ‘Food Safety Reasons’

This is just the latest illness-based controversy faced by the airline. Last month, Delta Air Lines suspended food service on its flights for “safety reasons.”

The airline was forced to stop serving hot meals on more than 200 flights leaving from its hub at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport for a few days due to a “food safety issue,” according to CNBC.

The airline declared that it would no longer be using the premises for its operations and that the hot food would now be handled in other kitchens.

“During a recent inspection at a DTW kitchen, Delta’s catering partner was notified of a food safety issue within the facility,” Delta said in a statement at the time. “Delta and its catering partner immediately shut down hot food production and subsequently suspended all activity from the facility. Hot food and other onboard provisioning will be managed from other facilities.”

First-class meals could not be loaded owing to “an unforeseen supply chain issue,” according to a message delivered to the flight crew on Oct. 11. Instead, there were plenty of extra goodies on the trip.

The Food and Drug Administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The airline claimed that no diseases among its workers or passengers had been identified, and as compensation, it gave afflicted customers frequent flyer miles or vacation vouchers.

Other airlines besides Delta Air Lines have also been forced to discontinue offering hot food. JetBlue recently said that, with the exception of first-class customers, it will no longer serve hot meals to all passengers.

After testing new food options this summer on its seasonal flights to Edinburgh and Dublin, the New York-based airline told CBS MoneyWatch that it had taken hot meals off of its economy-class menus.