Jaunted

More than 12,500 BA employees, asked by Unite to cast ballots in November, voted by a 92.5 percent majority to walk out from December 22 for 12 days, Unite Deputy General Secretary Len McCluskey announced Monday... McCluskey warned that the strike would inflict 'catastrophic damage' to the airline if it went ahead and urged British Airways bosses to return to the negotiating table. He said union members had been pushed into a corner by BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh. 'We've been saying to Mr. Walsh this seems crazy at a time when British Airways is suffering badly through an economic downturn that he should force us into a dispute that would have catastrophic effects on the economy of the company,' McCluskey told CNN Monday.

We used to have a very straightforward LHR-BUD connection on the way to Sofia, Bulgaria. The itinerary is now two days earlier, includes an overnight stay in Budapest, and involves a bus to Gatwick. So it's more of an experience than an itinerary. See: "be flexible," in our tips below.

First things first. British Airways has issued an acknowledgment to its partners that flights will likely be canceled for the first week of the strike. Some oneworld agents, American Airlines, for example, are empowered to move around your itinerary and waive change fees. It is not true that they have to wait until the flights are formally scrapped. They may try to tell you it's true. It's not. See also: "escalate quickly," below.

Our quick tips for rebooking:

1. Call now.
Other airlines are trying to add routes and seats but supply is overwhelming demand, which is what you'd expect when the world's soon-to-be third largest airline suspends Christmas operations. Airline prices, car rental prices, even train prices all spiked last night.

2. Escalate quickly.
You're overwhelmingy likely to strike out with Tier 1 customer service. It's not a matter of getting to someone who can say yes—the usual problem with Tier 1 customer service—as much as a competence issue. Fixing your itinerary is going to be a difficult and frustrating experience. You don't want to add the nagging worry that the agent is forgetting a route. Feel free to say "good morning" or "good afternoon" but the word "supervisor" should make an appearance sooner rather than later.

3. Be prepared.
Oneworld's member airlines are listed here and Kayak lives over here. Have a couple of your own options ready.

4. Be flexible.
You're going to end up with a suboptimal itinerary. That's already locked in. The difference between that and no itinerary is going to be a matter of the days you can fly and the routes you're willing to take. Here's the link to sleepinginairports.com, just in case you need it.

5. Be patient.
Yelling at the agents won't make more seats appear, nor will it cause partner airlines open up more codeshares. Seriously. We tried.

Good luck, and seriously—feel free to vent about your experiences rebooking with British Airways in the comments below.

[Photo: caribb]

Related Stories:
· British Airways defiant as strike threatens Christmas chaos [CNN]
· British Airways [Jaunted]
· Airline News [Jaunted]