ATLANTA — A Georgia judge on Wednesday ordered a company to resume catering services on Delta Air Lines flights, effective immediately.
The Atlanta-based airline said in a press release that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Manis made the order to Gate Gourmet, which had stopped service to Delta flights Tuesday afternoon.
"Delta regrets any inconvenience caused to our customers for this service interruption while we were attempting to resolve this matter," said Paulette Corbin, Delta's senior vice president of in-flight service, in a prepared statement.
Delta scrambled Tuesday to get food and drinks on many of its flights after a contract dispute prompted Gate Gourmet to stop service.
Gate Gourmet provides food and drink service for flights at Delta's Atlanta hub and at about 50 other cities. Its service shutdown came only days after Delta resolved a dispute with another catering company, LSG Sky Chefs, which serves flights at the airline's Salt Lake hub along with about 20 other cities.
Delta spokesman John Kennedy declined to describe the nature of the dispute with Gate Gourmet.
The airline, which has been struggling to avoid bankruptcy, gave some passengers vouchers to buy meals before flights on Tuesday, Kennedy said. Delta has also turned to other vendors to provide food on flights, he said.
Bankruptcy expert Darryl Laddin said Delta suppliers may be demanding prepayment for service to avoid losing money on outstanding bills if Delta files for bankruptcy.
"It's good bankruptcy planning," said Laddin, an Atlanta attorney who represented Eastern Airlines' bankruptcy trustee about 15 years ago.
Contributing: The Associated Press