So did QF order the wrong equipment? i.e A380.
This seems more suited - depending on whether QF still exists in any recognisable guise in 4 years.
I cannot help but feel many an A380 option will not be exercised in favour of this machine.
WRT Hub and Spoke OPS - that is becoming the achilles heel of the legacy carriers is it not? Optimum crew / other resource allocation principle just do not work with a large H&S configuration. Direct city pairs are proving much more efficient. See Southwest in the US for proof. And AMR/AAL for proof the other way.