It is about the worst possible time of year for a strike. Emergency talks are ongoing, but cabin crew at British Airways have voted to strike between December 22 to January 2, 2010. If the strike does proceed, up to one million passengers may be affected.
So what does this mean for flights during this period? Worst case scenario - flights are completely grounded. Best of the worst case scenario is that most international flights would still fly. I remember a few years ago when BA last had a strike as I was flying to London Heathrow, and essentially their passengers were stranded - scrambling for seats on other airlines - some were accommodated, but certainly not all - and that was a strike that only lasted a few days.
British Airways has published a set of options for travelers set to travel with them during the busy holiday period. Note that they do state January 2009, but should read 2010. The policy includes the following for those who wish to deal with making arrangements before the strike:
"If you are booked to travel between 22 December 2009 and 2 January 2009 (my note - should be 2010) or for 48 hours on either side of those dates you can:
Rebook your flight:
- to a different time on another BA flight,
- to the same destination as your original booking,
- within the next twelve months at no extra charge."
More flexibility - including refunds would occur should the strike happen as planned.
image from British Airways