Delta flight attendants are being told that theyll shortly have to prepare the aircraft cabin for takeoff earlier than in the past, and that specifically impacts collecting service items. While the airline claims this is an FAA-driven change that applies across the industry, Im not sure anything is actually changing, other than perhaps an increase in enforcement.
OMG! Please don’t let this be true!! Now I have to chug my cup of boxed wine faster than normal!
This is just an excuse not to provide pre-departure beverages.
They used to be served on every flight, regional or mainline, in domestic first before the pandemic. Once restored after the pandemic, the service of pre-departure drinks have declined to about 50/50.
The reason for why now, as I write in my post on this, is that the 1992 rule established no compliance schedule for paper cups and plastic glasses. The FAA updated this May 27, 2026 to say that the rule did address “pickup of paper cups and plastic glasses prior to movement” and that “[a]ll galley items should be picked up and properly stowed prior to movement on the surface.”
Gary, is this the same FAA with the guy who accepted sponsorships (for a self-promoting ‘travel show’) from the very companies he’s supposed to be regulating? Phew! I trust that his heart and mind is in the right place at least. (Why even bother serving PDBs; cut costs by an extra percent, increase profits by 51%, give Ed an extra $1 million bonus. Brilliant!) /s
I’ve learned very quickly over the last year to be very skeptical of anything announced in the regulatory world by the feds because of the clown heads in charge over there. Keep in mind I’m about as pro regulation as they come.
The way it was communicated to UA F/As back in the 90s was that the galley had to be secure (all compartments closed & latched) before the aircraft door could be closed, and could not be reopened until after takeoff.
Prior to that UA used glass for PDBs, but that meant that a galley compartment/cart would need to be open(ed) after the aircraft door was closed to re-stow the glasses. That’s why they switched to plastic glasses because a countertop trash compartment lid could be opened/closed during taxi. It was even joked that airlines could continue using glass if they were willing to throw them out during taxi, but the economics were better for tossing plastic glasses.
Now it sounds like the FAA considers the mere situation of having the glasses, even plastic, at the seats after the door is closed is a safety risk?
I would like to see proof that PDBs are a threat to safety and, as someone else said on another site, the Yetis that some people seated in Y bring on board that look like artillery shells aren't.
It's from 1992.
It just took incompetent obsolete dinosaur at FAA to enforce this, if they even do.
It took them 34 years to enforce, make it'll take them 30 years to penalize airlines.
So expect Delta to pay $1000 fine around 2060.
I think you meant to say "industry watchdog" JonNYC.
Might be tacky, but just bring your own disposable cup or cup and switch it. It says “ all Delta provided disposable and non-disposable serviceware”. And liquids and ice aren’t considered serviceware.
No, serviceware isn’t a beverage, but the liquid within that was provided by the airline would be, which is part of the rule. Your plan needs more work. 😉
This seems silly, and no doubt will be start of crews abusing this to avoid doing pre-departure drinks and stay and chat in the galley pre take-off.
Learn to spell; "Delta flight attendants will collect service items before pushabck"
Who the hell at the FAA has started dating an AA flight attendant???
Cheers laddies!
Easier for certain kinds, but for chugging an entire mug of fresh, hot coffee, it will be more difficult. Ironically it always seems hottest right when you need to drink it faster, but when you're inflight and have all the time in the world it is comfortably warm immediately.
Y'all are all thinking the wrong way lol. WN wants to get into the first class game but doesn't have the license to serve alcohol on the ground. How do you beat the competition when you can't serve pre departures? Make sure they don't too lol.
Does this also include water bottles which are (hopefully still) provided?
This isn’t new. Most flight attendants simply dont enforce it because so many first class customers are extremely mean and hostile because they think they’ll die without their alcohol which will be served immediately again. It’s not worth the argument and complaints to fight with the crazies.
American has been doing this for a while now...30-45 minutes out on every domestic flight I've taken in the last year...ridiculous.
Ralph4878,
You are referencing the AA ARRIVAL policy, not the departure policy.
Then you taxi for 30 minutes. Like a plastic cup of a beverage is a safety issue.
Just another way for US carriers to cut service, save money, and charge higher fares...