To make it clear:
EK has a LIDO viewer and access to flight plan on the net. BUT, ... you need your own laptop, where their self elected industry standard (for crew rest comparison), the newbees down south, have this industry standard, providing laptops with all capabilities, but suddenly this is no standard anymore ..... Not a big deal you might say, almost agreed.
Then you need to buy the internet access in about 50% of hotels. Again, not a big deal, just some 100dhs a day. Additionally in most hotels where you really appreciate early info, the connection is painfully, if not prohibitively slow. As a third, where you really like early info (ULR, ex. JFK) due to early pick-up and volume, you can be almost assured the flpl + notam is not yet loaded when you have to leave.
Overcrowding of the cockpit cannot be solved by just sending out the collegues. Where do they go? Pax are boarding and galleys busy. It's not only them, but just as much their crewbags that block. Outside check ok, but this happens early and takes 10'. It's when all comes together towards the last 10': actual ZFW, fuel calc, info to mechanic, to station, TO-calculations, new ATIS, rwy change, gathering pre-dep-clrc etc. etc. Allthough I do not agree with the tone of lovely White Knight, he's right about having to do that stuff yourself together with your FO/CAPT. There is a distinct routine that is established with a TWO man cockpit, not three or four, so at this stage they should be able to sit on a nice seat, away from the cockpit, not in anyones way (they should also be able to sit on a 7 hour rest, and not just forced to lie flat ... but that's another beautiful EK story).
For lookout and radio back-up monitoring they are great in the cockpit, but it stops quite there, otherwisew they distract.
I think most pilots know how to manage distractions well - (thanks for this heads-up, I wouldn't have thought of it ...
) - until the distractions distract them. I'd rather have them out than having to manage them, the unforseen will pop up just as much.