To be fair to the FAAA the timing of this request literally catches the union between the proverbial rock and and a hard place.
I agree that if they denied the dispensation to the company then it would definitely put added pressure on negotiations.
The company would have almost certainly used it to show the reluctance of L/H to be flexible.
Having said that,the company should at the very least acknowledge the dispensation in a concrete way.
This could be in a number of forms but it should be recognised during the negotiations.
A simple thankyou in a newsletter from the company to all L/H crew would certainly not hurt either.
If the dispensation is for such a considerable length of time such as 2012 then it is not out of the question that the company show some faith as well and guarantee that L/H will operate the A 380......