Passengers aboard a British Airways flight from the Turks and Caicos Islands to London were caught by surprise when KFC meals were served in place of the usual in-flight cuisine.

The flight, which included business class travelers, encountered significant catering difficulties that resulted in the disposal of all on-board food.

The Boeing 777, forced to make a stopover in Nassau, the Bahamas due to the catering crisis, arranged an unconventional meal service – procuring several buckets of chicken from a nearby KFC outlet.

“In a situation where options at the airport were limited, our teams demonstrated their resourcefulness by securing alternative meals to ensure our customers weren’t left hungry,” a British Airways spokesperson told news.com.au.

The airline expressed regret over the incident, noting: “We apologize to customers that their full meal service was not available and that we had to improvise on this occasion.” A gesture of goodwill in the form of refreshment vouchers was extended to passengers upon landing.

Passengers across all classes, including business, received the fast-food meals. Social media buzzed with videos and comments from passengers, showing cabin crew with KFC buckets, distributing chicken legs to travelers.

The improvised solution, however, elicited varied reactions from those on board. One passenger referred to the one-leg-per-person service as an “absolute disgrace” and mentioned a lack of vouchers despite the airline’s promise.

The passenger’s account was echoed by Twitter user Andrew Bailey, who was also aboard the ill-fated flight. Bailey said the food on the plane had been discarded because “the chilling container with food failed”.

Nevertheless, others sprang to the defense of the beleaguered airline, highlighting that the catering issue was out of their control.

A flight attendant from a different airline expressed empathy for the British Airways crew, tweeting, “I understand the frustration that the crew must have gone through to try and come up with a solution.”

An Instagram user commended the crew, asserting they had done their best under the circumstances. The user also stated that passengers bear some responsibility.

“Grownups take responsibility for themselves … BA didn’t FORGET the food, there was a catering mishap and the food hadn’t been refrigerated,” he said. “Again, stuff happens. Would you rather have been fed food that might have made you ill?”

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