Another side of the coin. Lets say EK really wanted to put the screws on the idiot little green man at the bottom of the garden?
They need pilots - masses of them - and (regardless of your attitude to Qf drivers) Qantas has them. And they are pissed off.
Be a nice strategic move to take them all and watch Qf squirm, wouldn't it?
Ek want more than QF could provide in any case, but interesting scenario!!