British Airways strike threat for (late) December - update

Last week a BA cabin crew union issued notice of a strike ballot. Today the ballot end date has been confirmed as 14 December (source BBC). This means if there is a yes vote, and if a strike is not averted, then the strike must start on or after 21 December - just in time for the Christmas peak travel season. A 26 December start date for a strike is a possibility if the union wants to avoid being cast as a villian who stops people from returning home for Christmas.

The airline won't rebook passengers until a strike is confirmed, by which time it may be too late to get on alternative flights. While a stike is not certain, the more risk averse travellers who are flying on British Airways in late December should start looking into their options.

For myself I have already done some research. I have 3 flights in this period on BA on a flexible ticket. Unfortunately I cannot reroute onto another airline as it would break other rules of my fare, and nor can I retime my trip as I have a fixed timeframe for doing it. So I have a choice of sitting tight and see what rebooking options BA comes up with if a strike goes ahead, or changing a destination on my itinerary which I'm loathe to do at this stage. I won't do anything at the moment but review around 12 December. If a strike is announced on 14 December then I'll need to act quickly, but by being prepared I'll have the best chance of a reasonable outcome.