CarolDisney1

In ATL the law says you must have bartenders. No self serve. Same at RDU and BNA. So some of that is "driven" by outside forces. (Both RDU and BNA used to be self serve and then the "goverment" got involved LOL!)

Now you could set up self serve soft drinks and water etc.. but no booze in lots of locations!

clarence5ybr

The vast majority of WCs are self-serve (I believe only two). Going bartenderless would eliminate the need to hire at WC locations, and would likely allow a good deal of the CRCs to go bartenderless.

mersk862

I know the SEA WC has the self-serve soft-drinks/juices, etc., but has someone standing by the drinks area that can go into a back room and get you the alcoholic beverage of your choice.

As for wants at the CRC:
- NW's food options. I like my Pepperidge Farm crackers and chocolate chip cookies.
- Truly free Wi-Fi. I probably have about 10 TMobile cards in my briefcase that I'm meaning to throw out
- I know this might seem a little tacky, but kiosks in the CRC at the hubs. Would be good for the simple requests (change seat assignments, get a new BP after your upgrade has cleared), which would mean shorter lines for the actual agents (who'd still be there for irrops). Would be really convenient for those times where I've misconnected, called SMS from the plane and got my new flight and just need the new BP.

kylemore

I was actually thinking the same thing. There have been times I just wanted to print an itinerary, etc.. Didn't want to wait in line or bother the agent with it. Could be nice to have tucked in a corner somewhere.

CarolDisney1

If local law will not allow it then, it doesn't matter what it would eliminate... it can't be done! Delta/NW etc... have to obey the local liquor laws or risk legal issues.

clarence5ybr

Um, my point was that local law DOES allow self-serve booze in many jurisdictions, as evidenced by the fact that NEARLY ALL of NW's clubs are self-serve for booze!

As mersk862 pointed out, SEA is one exception, and I think there's one other. So it's not that NW is flouting local laws, they are obeying them, it's just that more locales than you think allow self-serve booze in private clubs.

So, yes, establishing a no-bartenders-unless-legally-required policy would eliminate the need to hire bartenders for the vast majority of current WCs (plus the need to remodel to fit in a tended bar area), and would likely allow getting rid of bartenders at many of the current CRC locations.

tgrazini

PDX is the other exception to self serve. They also have self serve soft drinks.

indufan

Therein lies a big part of the problem...there isn't anything they can do to please everyone.

itsaboutthejourney

- NW's food options. Cheese & crackers, chocolate chip cookies, snack mix, carrots, celery, whole fruit, espresso and in the morning bagels/muffins, yoghurt, doughnuts, etc.

- Clean, modern restrooms with real amenities: mouthwash, lotion, deoderent, etc.

- Power everywhere

- NRT, Air France or KLM style remodel to the older clubs.

- Fireplaces (like DTW)

I hear I'm already getting my wish of no-bartenders

mersk862

Honestly, no bartenders makes more sense from an economic standpoint. The labor side has already been mentioned. It would also cost a good chunk of money to reconfigure several NW WCs to put an actual bar in there. While I haven't been to many WCs that will be around post-merger (I've been to all of them at MEM, MSP and DTW; I know BOS is closing this month and LGA will most likely close as well, and SEA has been discussed already...), there just isn't a whole lot of room to put a bar in due to the design of these lounges without doing a decent bit of reconfiguring. Thus, it becomes is it worth Delta to spend a good chunk of money on refitting these lounges?

At the airports that need to have a bartender, keep the bartenders (ATL anyone?). At the other airports, it is probably a bit easier to make them self-service (don't really need to remodel that much).

phaedrus

1. AC Outlets: More of them and in more "sensible" places (none of this under-the-desk junk [a'la ATL A Center])

2. Better in-club food choices. (While some of the stuff in the former BE lounges is nice... I really appreciate the breadth of choices in the NW and CO clubs I've been in.)

3. Bartenders: I'm kind of divided on this one... I rather like having a real bartender... I'd think self-serve would tend to limit drink choices... plus the bartender adds class... Maybe keep the bartenders for the booze and provide self-serve for non-alcoholic?

4. Wi-Fi: Free, please!

5. More room! Honestly, the B10 (?) CRC is way too tiny for the traffic it gets!

SchmutzigMSP

I don't understand the argument that bartenders add class.

I don't think there's anything particularly classy about having to wait in line to get a non-alcoholic drink (would be alleviated if they put in additional drink stations elsewhere) or about having a tip jar out on the counter. Regardless of whether or not you have to tip, I don't even want to have to make the calculation of did I ask for a complex enough of a drink, or did they provide some service that was above and beyond, etc. Heck, most of the time I just want a beer, and I can pour that myself.

If bartenders are kept, the bars need to be expanded/additional tenders added, separate non-alcoholic drink stations introduced, and tip jars eliminated. That is, if the goal is to be "classy".

Just my two cents.

UNHBuzzard

High end toilet paper. There's no worse way to end a 5+ hr MR than to go wipe your nether regions with sand paper. Perhaps a bidet rental (um, not really).

LibFlyer

The bartenders are not an asset. Keep them only in those places where local laws require it. And in those places where bartenders are required to serve alcohol, put in self-service facilities for all non-alcoholic drinks.

TransWorldOne

[QUOTE=seacruiser;11403936]Neither do most bartenders!