BigFlyer

Non-US carriers don't seem to bother with bartenders in their clubs - the bottles are just out (OK, don't tell me how I'm wrong on this point even if I am, it's not the point of the post.)

The Skyclubs have bartenders - but also make you see the bartender for non-alcoholic drinks. Why?

I assume it's not about reducing consumption - soda from a machine is cheap.

In fact, I suspect that many customers who would just grab a soda if they didn't have to wait for a bartender end up ordering alcohol if they are forced to deal with a bartender. So this practice might actually cost Delta money.

xliioper

No bartenders or waiting at the 4 DTW clubs (or MSP C club, and NRT). There's probably a few others out there.

KDCAflyer

DL's bar experience is really fragmented. Most of the PMNW clubs don't have bartenders, which I don't really get since we're approaching the 10 year mark since the merger. Some of the ATL clubs used to have Freestyle machines, but they pulled them for some reason.

I'm hoping that the DCA club will get a soda machine, since that bar line can get long, but I'm not optimistic.

ethernal

Probably not adding value here but I agree 100% with this complaint. I just don't get beverages at Skyclubs (except those that have soda machines.. there are a few) because it's a pain to deal with a bartender. I'm sure you can bend over backwards to explain why they don't have self-service alcohol at a lot of places but I can't for the life of me figure out why the damn soda machine is behind the bar.

KDCAflyer

I'm not a big soda person (iced tea normally), but sometimes I just want a Coke.

StayingHomeIsBetter

The underlying logic:

1) Income must be maximized and costs minimized.
2) Customers will blindly cooperate with 1) regardless of customer service cuts.

davetravels

I hate it when the bartender seems to pour on the over-the-top charm when I order a Coke Zero, and I can sense a frown / pout when he / she hears that it's not an alcoholic drink, probably thinking - - - Here's another no-tipper!

That's why I LUUUV the new self serve iced tea dispensers!

ethernal

But that's what I don't get. Bartenders are expensive. Having a bartender raises costs. One can argue that by making people wait in line for coke zero it means that they end up saving money on alcohol costs (due to people not wanting to wait in line).. but that is a stretch at best.

It seems like it's just Delta's culture to avoid letting people do self-service on anything. Need to do a same-day change? Call in! Need to remove yourself from the C+ upgrade list? Call in! Need to change your flight? Call in, because the website/app will error out! Want a diet coke? Ask the bartender!

dilbertsdaddy

I loved when they had the fancy machine in ATL A.

Seems like every time they try something I like, they get rid of it! (cranberry cookies!)

KDCAflyer

I don't really care what the bartender thinks. I'm not tipping for a soda.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Two reasons for bartenders:

1) You can't sell over-priced premium beverages without one.
2) Have you never seen anyone make repeated trips to a club self-service bar, only to return to a discrete corner of the club in order to fill a water bottle with free spirits?

Keep in mind that the club bartenders are contract employees, not DL employees. I doubt that any of the bartenders are funding top-of-the-line BMWs on their salaries.

Having a separate self-serve soda machine** removes the possibility that someone, after waiting in line, will end up saying, "What the hell... I'll buy an XXX"... especially after they see what the non-XXX alternatives are.


** In ATL, it would be a coke machine. JFK, a soda machine. MSP, a pop machine. The Pop vs. Soda Page

pvn

They will have a hard time keeping bartenders if they can't get enough tips. Driving soda through them may be the only way to keep a full-service bar viable.

In any case, there are vending machines in the concourse.

KDCAflyer

Really? I had no idea. Can I use my DL Reserve card to get free drinks from them?

pvn

The weird thing is that this forum is literally littered with complaints about how low-rent the skyclubs are, when Delta does something to move them upmarket, we get complaints that the clubs aren't slummy enough.

Uh, really! Vote with your feet.

"The clubs are DUMPS!"

"We want a FANCY club... BUT we want a big taco bell soda fountain in the middle of it!"

KDCAflyer

Did that really require three separate posts?

A Freestyle machine would be reasonable, and would blend in fine with the decor of the SC.

Coke makes smaller versions that take up very little space.