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From Times Online

January 2, 2008

Your Top 10 questions on booking flights

Want to know when to book bargain flights, how to get refunds and whether to reconfirm? We've your most-asked questions

A British Airways plane comes in to land at Heathrow airport,

Ginny McGrath

1. Can I book a flight a year ahead? - Marion Kozlen's daughter is spending a year studying in Beijing and cannot book her return flights without paying a penalty. If you want to know when flights are at their cheapest, here's the expert flight bookers' guide

2. How to book trips with multiple flights - Rob Hutchinson wants a website to advise on cheapest fare options for multi-stop journeys using different airlines

3. How do airlines calculate taxes and charges - Brian Holliday wants to know how BA got to the figure of £160 for the extras on his NY flights

4. Should I book domestic US flights in the UK? - Martin Waldron needs to take an LA-Palm Springs flight as part of a round-the-world trip, and wants to know if he'll save money by booking it in LA

5. Is it worth being on a flight wait list? - Francesca Copeland is waitlisted on an Emirates flight to Perth, and wants to know how long she should wait because booking elsewhere would cost significantly more

6. Should I still reconfirm flights? - Karen Billing has been told by Qatar Airways to reconfirm her flights, but won't be near a phone on holiday

7. Can I get a tax refund on cancelled flights? - John Beeteson's BA flight was cancelled due to high winds, but can he at least reclaim the taxes?

8. Can I resell an unwanted airline ticket? - Robin Rostron has two Ryanair tickets he no longer needs - can he sell them on eBay?

9. Is it cheap to fly on Christmas Day? - Sandy Varley wants to know if she can save money by flying to Australia while everyone else is enjoying the festivities at home

10. Why is the same flight priced differently in different countries? - Andy Bonito is frustrated that he pays more to fly Dubai-London than UK-based travellers - our expert explains why there's such disparity on flight pricing

Watch out for a First Choice rip off, they charged E22.50 for a window seat saying a flight was full and I was on the aisle in the very back row. In fact the flight was less than a third full, only 56 pax on an A320. A total rip off.....

Ron Brown, Richmond, UK.

I woould just like to actually defend Ryanai, as they seem to get all the bad press re hidden costs when booking. To be honest all cheap airlines treat us like cattle now and unless one can afford business or first class air travel is a nightmare. I use Ryanair three times a year to visit my elderly father in Ireland and I have never had a problem understanding their website. The worst part is the tax added on. If I were fit and able to carry my luggage on board I would not have a problem witj extras. I have just been trying to organise our summer flights to Majorca and Easyjet, BMI Baby and Jet 2.com are all far more complicated. They all charge extra for luggage and seating and I have paid Â£10.25 extra to use my credit card and it would have been almost as much for a debit card! Ryanair is what it says- cheap and cheerful and it costs far less to fly abroad than to travel around England by train and you ARE guaranteed a seat! Disabled are penalized because of luggage costs

Anne Bellis, Goole, East Yorkshire

When will easyjet bring out the summer flights from East Midlands to Rome ?

steve, Nottingham, UK