Why would AJ throw his weight around?
Yeah, I don't know either, it's just that he seems to make a habit of telling heads of other airlines how things are going to be. Pretty much exclusively to his own detriment.
Maybe he's learnt his lesson and has gone cap in hand to TC to ask for help..........but i don't think so.
Keep in mind EK don't need Qantas. Sure a Qantas domestic feed will help a little bit, but really it is only a regional feed because EK already fly to every major city in Australia, so EK won't get the boost from a domestic alliance in the same manner EY did with Virgin. But you can bet your @ss Qantas needs EK because they currently have no international network (to speak of) and they will benefit massively from the EK feed as inbound tourists hop between states.
Further more, the Australian connection really is such a small part of EK's network. So this deal is a game changer for Qantas and a minor improvement for EK.
Again, given AJ's historical tendency to arrogance, it will be interesting to see whether he can hold his tongue when EK start dictating terms. And believe me EK will start dictating terms. They now call the shots at Boeing and Airbus in regard to widebody design, so pulling AJ into line will be a relative walk in the park.