I’ve gotten a few emails asking me why I haven’t commented on Northwest’s plan to charge a $15 premium for their ‘best’ coach seats. While there’s the risk of holding back some elite seating and generating some marginal revenue, I more or less see it as a non-event because outside of the exit rows Northwest really doesn’t offer any decent seats in coach worth paying extra for. And the few times that there are actual seats somewhat (barely) better than others in coach, they aren’t necessarily the ones that Northwest will be charging more money for. As always, consult Seat Guru for your choice of seat and by all means don’t pay Northwest extra for their pitiful coach product. (At least United’s forward rows in coach offer additional legroom…) Meanwhile, United announced that it will…

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Voting for the Freddie Awards closes tomorrow, March 15. So this is your last shot to cast your ballot for the best programs, awards, and bonuses of the year. I posted my own take on who deserves accolades back on February 1, in case you need any ideas about how to cast your own vote . . .

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Brad DeLong discovers that hotel names can be confusing even within the same brand. The Crystal Gateway Marriott is not the Crystal City Marriott. The Crystal City Marriott is not the Crystal Gateway Marriott. In the same neighborhood it’s also important to know that the Sheraton National is not the closest Sheraton to National Airport. Until recently there was a hotel called Sheraton Pentagon South — which was not the closest Sheraton to the Pentagon. (That honor belongs to the Sheraton National.) So if you’re looking for a Starwood property near National Airport you book the Sheraton Crystal City and if you want one near the Pentago you book the Sheraton National. And if you want a Sheraton in the Nation’s Capital you can’t, because there is no Sheraton in the District of Columbia (except…

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The Upgrade Travel Blog reminds us that some US domestic carriers, most notably United, still allow you get get a voucher when a fare you’ve already purchased goes down. American used to do it domestically but no longer does, unfortunately. The piece reports that USAirways offers this feature. What I hadn’t realized (I admit, somewhat embarassingly) is that United will let you go through the process online — a huge benefit for people like me who hate the telephone.

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I like to get the most out of every dollar, as regular readers of this blog can imagine. But this is going too far, even for me. But then I also can’t remember the last time I was willing to eat at Pizza Hut. I make no claims to the veracity of this story, by the way. Hat tip to I Will Teach You to Be Rich.

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Last night I had dinner at Zengo in Washington, DC, part of the small Modern Mexican chain. The restaurant came highly recommended by Tyler Cowen. Things did not start out promising. I pulled up at 7pm for our 7:15pm reservation. The valet parking attendants were standing around. They weren’t moving the cars that were already there, and they ignored us (and several more cars that pulled in behind us). Traffic in an already busy area backed up. After waiting 15 minutes, I called into the restaurant. I explained that I was outside waiting for parking and that a problem was developing. I was told “the valets are a different company so there’s nothing I can do, but I’ll tell the manager.” The manager came out and the valets took my car. By this time the…

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