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How to ring in the new year… How about some labor strife?

The Global Traveller runs down a list of seven likely airline and airport strikes (most in Europe) that could affect your travel in coming weeks. He also includes some excellent tips for making the best of a bad situation.

You should read the whole post, but here’s the gist:
- Know alternate routings and carriers before travel begins.
- Be flexible with dates, if you can. (Might cost you a fee.)
- Be flexible with routes/destinations, if you can. (Might cost a fee, again.)
- Consider buying fully refundable tickets on another airline as a Plan B.
- Have contact info handy.
- Confirm flights before departure.
- Keep tabs on the news.
- Don’t panic.

All good suggestions. And two of them (know alternate routings; contact info) are in the tips I offered last week on how to get an edge on other air travelers.

Most interesting to me: The refundable ticket as backup plan. It’s a good idea, but it’s not for everyone. Not everyone has the free cash flow to pay for fully-refundable (read: expensive) tickets. But if it’s must-go travel, this is a great idea. And if travels work out on the original itinerary, you can always get your money back.

I’d add one tip: If you paid via credit card, check to see what travel insurance coverage you have in case of strike. Some cards also offer “concierge” services to help out in cases like this, to help you get rebooked.

Here’s hoping that management and labor come to terms, and that these strikes don’t actually come to fruition. …and happy New Year!

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