Had the Bookies been offering odds on EK choosing the shorter of the 2 options................................... SV, as I understand it from a buddy there, plan 30+ hr layovers as do most other longhaul operators, as a minimum.
EK have one critical problem which is lack of pilots to fly their ever expanding program. Without pilots EVERYTHING else is mute.
They are getting enough in at the bottom, according to recruitment, but failing to retain those evaporating from the top( at one per day I hear) so essentially all that is happening is the number stays the same +/- but the level of experience on the Flt Deck continues to descend.
Trust, once lost, is very difficult to recover, however, the 9th floor seem to think that it is our fault, posting here, that have caused the problem.
They conveniently forget that when we were content and fairly treated we were their best recruiting tool.