David Politis

As I wrote last Friday (”Bad SkyWest / Delta service!“), we did not have a very good experience after my wife and I arrived in Oakland International Airport on Delta Flight #3957 as we had to wait 45 minutes for our baggage to make it to the Baggage Claim area. (Well, to be precise, we and 48 other unhappy passengers.)

So today I decided to reach out this morning to both SkyWest and Delta via the appropriate feedback pages on their respective Websites — the SkyWest Corporate Communications feedback page and the Delta Email Us page, something I did this morning.

And, as anticipated, I got automated email responses from both companies within the hour letting me know that my email had been received.

However, I received a personalized email this afternoon from Janice Street, Manager of Customer Relations at SkyWest Airlines, in response to my feedback (which was a pleasant surprise).

Janice apologized for SkyWest for the delays we endured in waiting for our luggage and let me know that she has contacted the Regional Director who oversees the Oakland operations. Janice also clarified that Oakland operations are handled solely by Delta on a contract basis and not by SkyWest.

Janice further added that she was forwarding a $50.00 travel certificate to my wife and I as a goodwill gesture, something that was totally unexpected.

This response has gone a long way towards restoring my faith and positive feelings towards SkyWest. Thank you, Janice.

On the other hand, I’m still waiting to hear from Delta. 

So for now, a tentative Thumbs Up for SkyWest and a Thumbs Down for Delta.

Lest you think this past weekend’s trip to the S.F. Bay was a bust (service-wise), let me note that the staff and management at the Oakland Marriott City Center were topnotch.

We asked for and got a very nice room with a view of the San Francisco Bay, and the overall service from everyone was very good. Thumbs Up!

Additionally, our first night in town we ate at the Caffe Verbena, which was right across the street from the Marriott and reasonably priced for a downtown restaurant.

The marinated hangar steak with salsa verde and polenta souffle was quite tasty, as was the herb roasted chicken with creamed spinach, cippolini onions and roasted potatoes.

I’ll definitely return to both establishments on my next trip to Oakland.

Thumbs Up for both! 

Every Holiday Season, we try and get away to catch a new flick on Christmas Day.

This year was no exception, although (in truth) we actually caught three new movies over the weekend, each of which I can recommend.

The first one we saw was “The Pursuit of Happyness,” starring Will Smith. This is a sobering yet very good movie that I can highly recommend. I’d give it a 4 out of 5, and the only reason I don’t give it a higher rating is that it’s a bit slow at times. Otherwise, I liked it a lot.

The second movie we saw was “Night at the Museum,” starring Ben Stiller. What a fun movie. Kids of all ages will like this silly fantasy. I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5.

The last movie of the weekend (seen by 5 out of 7 members of the Politis family) — wife Allisha begged off as she hates most sports movies, while daughter Melea was with her fiance – was “We Are Marshall,” starring Matthew McConaughey.

Call it a movie trifecta, but we won again with this moving look at the events leading up to, surrounding and following the devastating plane crash in 1970 that took the lives of 75 players, coaches, administrators and supporters of the Marshall University football team. This one gets my highest rating for the weekend — a 4.5 out of 5.

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, I think you’ll like “We Are Marshall” and it’s thoughtful take on the “winning is everything” mantra that is found too often outside of professional athletics. Go Thundering Herd!

I love spicy foods — unfortunately, my stomach does not.

Thankfully, I found Pepcid AC chewable, mint-flavored tablets a couple of years ago and they worked. So spicy Mexican, Italian or Thai food didn’t phase me anymore.

However, now I can’t find those chewable little pink tablets anywhere. To its credit, Johnson & Johnson does carry Original Pepcid AC and Maximum Strength Pepcid AC, both of which are not supposed to be chewed, rather swallowed with water. But (for some reason — perhaps more psychological than physical) I feel better faster after chewing up a Pepcid AC tablet than I do when I swallow one.

And as far as the new Pepcid AC Complete chewable pills are concerned, they’re nasty-tasting and leave a dry, chalky residue in my mouth for several minutes after chewing. (Heck, if I wanted a dry, chalky residue in my mouth I would have tried TUMS instead, or eaten chalk. Either would have had the same result!)

So . . . after calling the Johnson & Johnson - MERCK Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co. consumer hotline today (800-755-4008), I learned that the company has killed off the line of Pepcid AC chewable pills. AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!

I asked why and was told by “Mary Ellen” that the decision had to do with a lack of shelf space inside the stores. She also admitted that the Pepcid AC Web site was out of date and needed to be fixed to reflect the recent change in the product line.

She took down my info, so hopefully I’ll hear back from some PR person, but I’m not that hopeful.

Too bad. I LOVE Pepcid AC chewable tablets (major THUMBS UP!), while I HATE the chewable Pepcid AC Complete tablets (major THUMBS DOWN!).

Guess I’ll be looking for a new brand. Any suggestions?