Simon Benedict of Docklands,Victoria,hopes Hudson will improve the airline’s business class. His recent flight from Singapore to Sydney was disappointing,he said.

“Almost every aspect was substandard,as Qantas seems to be cutting every corner and every cost they can,” Benedict said.

His wish list runs long;more staff,better lounges and gates,more flights,better compensation schemes and shorter call centre wait times,which at present are “shocking”.

Hudson’s appointment could help bury the hatchet with jaded customers after a turbulent few years following the COVID pandemic,according to experts.

Aviation analytics firm Cirium’s Mike Arnot said Hudson’s real challenge will be winning back the goodwill of passengers.

“She’s going to need the customer-focused hat at this juncture,as well as the financial acumen,” said Arnot.

“Australia and Qantas specifically are experiencing the same post-COVID hiccups with return to a new normal that other countries have ... cancellations and delays are higher than previous,and fares are also high. Passengers are right to be frustrated. So that will be a key challenge.”

Will these customers get their wishes answered? Hudson said her focus will be on improving customer relations,which she acknowledged have taken a hit during the pandemic amid staff shortages,capacity constraints,supply chain issues and price hikes.

“We are very upfront in terms of recognising that the customer experience was not where we wanted it to be,we have invested in an enormous amount of money,” Hudson said at a press briefing about her appointment.

“This year again the performance is back where we were pre-COVID and our focus going forward is going to continue to improve.”

Over the longer term,fleet renewal and sustainability will be the key challenges.

Professor Rico Merkert,aviation expert at the University of Sydney,said:“Qantas can achieve some of its net-zero targets simply by investing into new aircraft. The question is whether their balance sheet is strong enough and where the capital for all these new,expensive aircraft is going to come from.”

“In that sense it seems to be a good move to promote the current chief financial officer to become the new CEO.”

While Qantas has returned to profit,areport by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released last month showed it was contacted 1780 times about Qantas over the 2022 financial year,an increase of nearly 70 per cent on the previous year and the most complaints it has ever received about an airline.

Last year was marked by mishandled luggage,staff shortages,flight delays and cancellations. Other complaints included issues around using travel credits and long customer service delays.