Hungarian company to provide onboard catering on American Airlines’ Budapest route!

After a six-year hiatus, a direct air connection between Hungary and the United States will return. From May, American Airlines will launch a daily seasonal service between Philadelphia and Budapest. The American carrier has signed a three-year agreement with the Hungarian company Gastland Flight Catering to provide onboard catering for the route.

There has been no direct connection between Hungary and the United States since the COVID pandemic, although American Airlines previously operated flights between Philadelphia and Budapest. The relaunch fills a significant gap in the market: currently nearly 600,000 passengers travel annually between the two countries without a direct flight.

The Philadelphia–Budapest route will be operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Philadelphia serves as one of American Airlines’ major hubs, allowing passengers to connect to cities on the US West Coast the same day, including San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles.

Strict safety standards on board

Founded in 2014, Gastland Flight Catering provides catering services for commercial airlines as well as private aviation operators in Hungary. Under the new contract, the company will deliver full catering services for the Budapest–Philadelphia flights across three travel classes: Business, Premium Economy and Economy.

The cooperation is based on the strict food safety and operational standards required in international aviation.

Strong presence in private aviation

Gastland Flight Catering has developed particular expertise in servicing private and business jets, where each order is tailored to the client’s needs. In private aviation catering there are no standard templates – requests are highly personalised and often extremely specific.

While the details of such requests are confidential, they can include unusual requirements, ranging from rare ingredients and strictly defined dietary regimes to bespoke floral arrangements delivered on board. In one case, the company had to source fresh ingredients exclusively from a particular region for a long-haul flight, requiring carefully timed logistics.