The magnetic excitation spectrum has been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering on triangular lattice antiferromagnets CuFeO2 and CuFe0.98Al0.02O2. While the normal acoustic spin-wave dispersion curve was obtained in CuFe0.98Al0.02O2; the anomalous dispersion curve with energy gap whose bottom positions do not correspond to the magnetic Bragg point for the 4-sublattice (up arrow up arrow down arrow down arrow) ground state was obtained in CuFeO2. (C) 2003 Elsevier B. . All rights reserved.