Hudson will take the helm as relations with unions and passengers plumb an all-time low. The soured ties go back to at least 2011, when Joyce grounded the entire Qantas fleet to settle a labor dispute and stranded about 70,000 customers around the world. Employee representatives later accused Joyce of using the Covid-19 pandemic to get rid of some of the highest-paid cabin crew, and a court ruled that Qantas sacked more than 1,000 ground workers illegally. When air-travel demand surged back, Joyce become a lightning rod for passengers angered by a flurry of cancellations, delays and lost bags. His Sydney home was pelted with eggs and his surname became a byword on social media for air-travel disruptions.