Triangle Trip

Having Preferred status on US Airways does not yield any real benefits. If you’re a USAir Silver or Gold Preferred customer, you’ll still get charged for picking an aisle or a window seat located in front of the plane – which USAir calls the “Choice Seats.” Not sure if Platinum or Chairman members have to deal with this issue as they are generally upgraded on every flight.

Unlike United’s Economy Plus seats, USAir’s Choice Seats do not have extra leg room. Furthermore, you cannot purchase an exit row seat as a Choice Seat. Depending on when you purchase your ticket with USAir, you may be assigned to a middle seat. To get out of the middle seat, USAir will want to charge you US$20 to $40 extra for a Choice Seat depending on availability.

Star Alliance Gold members also face the same problem (see my previous post), as status does not give preferential seating on US Airways. However, you may want to call USAir’s reservations line to request an exit row seat – it has worked for me in the past.

I’ve been avoiding this sector of social networking for so long… and now I’ll have to sign up for a foursquare account.

Our favorite hotel chain, Starwood (SPG) is offering 250 SPG bonus Starpoints when you check in via foursquare with a confirmed SPG reservation. The offer is from now through July 31, 2011.

Click on the picture below to be linked to the SPG promotion site. You’ll have to sign in using your SPG login then link your SPG account to your foursquare account.

Did to know that you can get a full refund on an airline ticket if you booked it on the airline’s website if you cancel within 24 hours of the purchase?

Not many airlines disclose this information because they do not want you to cancel or change your mind after booking your airline ticket – but it’s true. If you booked a ticket on a major US commercial airline such as Delta, JetBlue, United, Virgin America, etc., you can cancel your ticket within 24 hours of booking the ticket without penalty.

However, you’ll need to have made the reservation on the airline’s website. If you’ve changed your mind, or found a better deal after booking your flight, just pick up the phone and ring the airline for a full refund of your ticket – regardless of ticket class (full fare and discounted are eligible). Your refund will be processed via credit card.

Ticket brokers and travel sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc., do not allow you to cancel or change your flight as they are generally matching you up on different one-way fares for the best deal.