In an astonishing display of brinkmanship over a bitter and protracted industrial dispute with three unions,

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, grounded the entire Qantas fleet early this morning in preparation for a staff lock-out on Monday.

Most people, whether employees, passengers, or observers have been stunned by the news and gone online to find more information or air their views. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are awash with comments, ranging from the despair of who can no longer fly to be with son who is about to undergo surgery, to the angry employees wondering how their CEO had the nerve to accept a 71% pay rise voted through at the Qantas AGM just 24 hrs earlier.

The surprise announcement from Qantas has naturally polarised political positions for and against, and has left thousands of passengers stranded around the world.

Virgin Australia and a number of international carriers are busy trying put on additional flights to carry some of the extra load but travel plans for most Qantas passengers remain grounded until further notice.

If you are one of them, the best sources of info are Qantas on Facebook and Qantas Customer Care on Twitter.