Surely points and miles mean something to the airline? Why not make some award seats available? I know revenue is much better than points/miles for the airline, but how is an empty seat better than that???
What means more to the airline is the revenue from paying first class customers who expect a certain image from an elite airline. The sort of people who do not want to sit next to a backpacking freeloader. EK is not the only airline that attempts to maintain some level of exclusivity. The good airlines do not normally offer easy access to first class.