Delta flight attendants are being told that they’ll shortly have to prepare the aircraft cabin for takeoff earlier than in the past, and that specifically impacts collecting service items. The airline claims this is an FAA-driven change that applies across the industry, though there’s a bit of nuance to this.
In this post:
Delta flight attendants will collect service items before pushback
JonNYC flags how Delta has sent a memo to flight attendants, telling them about some policy changes as of September 1, 2026. Specifically, flight attendants are being instructed to collect all Delta provided service items before pushback, calling it an “FAA-driven change” that applies across the industry. Here is the memo:
What’s happening: Beginning Sept. 1, flight attendants will be required to collect all Delta-provided service items, including both disposable and non-disposable service items, before pushback.
Why it matters: This FAA-driven change applies across the industry and requires airlines to collect and stow service items before pushback. On flights that offer pre-departure beverages in disposable serviceware, customers may have less time with their beverages before collection, so consider opportunities to begin service earlier in the boarding process when possible.
As a point of comparison, currently you’ll find that many flight attendants will collect service items (including pre-departure drinks) during taxi, coinciding with the final announcement from pilots about flight attendants needing to prepare the cabin for takeoff.
Are FAA policies actually changing, or what’s going on?
As you can see, Delta claims that this is an industry wide change driven by the FAA, which means that there would be updates to Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). What’s actually going on here?
I covered this in more detail in a separate post, but technically this policy has sort of been in place since 1992, as FAR 121.577 (a) reads as follows:
No certificate holder may move an airplane on the surface, take off, or land when any food, beverage, or tableware furnished by the certificate holder is located at any passenger seat.
The thing is, there was no enforcement mechanism in place, and there was also an exception for disposable service items. That has finally changed as of 2026 (yes, 34 years later), as the FAA claims that even disposable service items could pose a safety risk in the event of an evacuation (which strikes me as a major stretch).
With updated enforcement, I wouldn’t be surprised if this leads to a reduction in the number of crews serving pre-departure drinks, given the time crunch. Admittedly Delta crews are great about serving pre-departure drinks, so I’d expect this to be more of an issue at carriers like American.
Bottom line
Delta flight attendants have been informed that they’ll soon have to prepare the cabin for takeoff earlier, and that particularly impacts collecting service items, like pre-departure drinks. As of September 1, cups will need to be collected before pushback, rather than just before takeoff.
The airline suggests this is an FAA-driven change, and it does seem like the FAA is actually starting to enforce rules around pre-departure service, including no longer having an exception for disposable service items. This all strikes me as a bit much, but what can you do?
What do you make of this Delta policy change?
Just another way for US carriers to cut service, save money, and charge higher fares...
Then you taxi for 30 minutes. Like a plastic cup of a beverage is a safety issue.
Ralph4878,
You are referencing the AA ARRIVAL policy, not the departure policy.
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.
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.
Does this also include water bottles which are (hopefully still) provided?
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.
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.
Who the hell at the FAA has started dating an AA flight attendant???
Learn to spell; "Delta flight attendants will collect service items before pushabck"
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.
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. ;-)
I think you meant to say "industry watchdog" JonNYC.
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.
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
that would be the DOT secretary
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...
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?
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.
Except it actually was mandated by the FAA lol
OMG! Please don’t let this be true!! Now I have to chug my cup of boxed wine faster than normal!
I believe in you, Frank. Chug! Chug! Chug!