410,
I don't know about all that:
First of all, it would, as you state correctly, only be for a small minority. The rest of us would suffer NOT getting the valuable flights home evry now and then because they are most of the time taken by the people who are based there.
Second, althoug EK wouldn't have to provide accomodation for the commuters, they will need to be put in hotels for every night of their 'n' days. I just can't see how EK can provide a good basing package at the same cost of a pilot who is living in DXB. Don't forget the 'based' guy needs to pay taxes, social security, ...
Third, and I'm not sure about this. What is the ration expats/local guys in most airlines who offer basings? I think that in KAL, JAL, MAL, ... the locals outnumber the expats. So even if it's a small minority who gets basings, it's still a big part of the expats who can have it. (basings or commuting rosters)
I'm not sure how CQ handles their system, but I do know they have a Çathay City' or whatever it's called at HK airport for their crew to stay when in HK. I know they offer basings on the 747-classic, for Cathay Cargo, at a reduced package compared to the mainline. I have no idea about basings for Cathay mainline operations (although I heard of a A340 FO opening in Amsterdam recently).
So to be fair, I don't think basings will be a good solution for the problem. The way to go is commuting rosters with confirmed seats. It must be quite easy to accomplish that: work somebody for almost 90 hrs in 3 weeks, then 2 weeks off. This will result in a monthly average of about 75hrs. SO there is no loss of productivity. The guys opting for the system KNOW they would have to work hard in their 3 weeks on, but I think a lot of us wouldn't mind, considering the time of at HOME you get after that.