Don't shoot me but, why they deadheading crew didn't choose to go back to the hotel in Zurich if the seats are not what they are entitled to contractually? That means more perdiems and hotels for the airline to pay and lack of technical crew in Bangkok base (the deadheading crew would not be able to take more duty in the next few days) without giving the airline management the perfect excuse to go after the pilot force in general.
There are ways and ways...