Travelers to (or residents of) Scotland may be able to save some money on their dining. Since March 2006, PriceYourMeal.com has been auctioning off lunch and dinner at restaurants in Glasgow.

Auctioning meals isn’t entirely new, but it’s usually been limited to gift certificates. (Several years ago, my wife and I won an eBay auction for a gift certificate to Charlie Trotter’s restaurant in Chicago. Saved around $150 on that meal. Whoo!)

PriceYourMeal takes it a step further, by letting you bid for a set number of diners’ meals, or for a specific menu. Sometimes wine or drinks are included. The company also offers “buy-it-now” options to prepay a meal at a discount to the menu price.

Occasionally, hotel-sponsored dinner/room/breakfast packages appear, like a “Ramada Jarvis – Hangover January Party and room” package in Gourock (£50.00 starting bid).

80 restaurants participate in Glasgow, with Edinburgh coming online this month. London is next, with the goal to cover all major UK cities.

Flying this weekend? Stuck in a middle seat? If your travels take you through Atlanta, Columbus, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston (both Hobby and IAH), New York-LaGuardia, Phoenix, or Seattle, you are eligible for a free (though not exactly Biggie-sized) $1 gift card from Wendy’s.

The idea is cute, since being in a middle seat stinks. Fattening you up won’t make the return flight any more comfortable, though.

Besides: won’t someone please think of the long-suffering regional-jet passengers? Though they’re not in middle seats, they deserve treats, too… Who will rise to the challenge?

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