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As for the '4 engines 4 longhaul' logo, I believe that is an Airbus trademark....
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I don't think so. Even if that was true it is not compulsory to carry it.
But then self-serving publicity stunts are something of a trademark for certain people
M.Mouse, you obviously have a big downer on the bearded one, for whatever reason. However, can we leave him out of the discussion? He is not involved in either the purchase or the deployment of Virgin's A380s (or any other aircraft)!
The '4 engines 4 longhaul' is used in Airbus's own advertising, which is why I think it may be a trademark of theirs - added to the fact that the phrase does not appear on Virgin's Boeings. Whatever your opinion of the phrase, it will most certainly have to go if B777s are ordered, as seems likely.
Colegate, if Virgin could get 480 people on an A340-600 on the Orlando or Caribbean routes you might have a point, but at 313 pax they are well short of the ex-Alitalia 744s that cover the bucket and spade routes. In any case, I believe the 346 can't operate on the turning-circles common in the Caribbean. Also, one of the main advantages of the 346 is its freight capacity, which would be wasted on such routes. The 773 is closer to the 744, and could reasonably replace the older 744s at Virgin, but it doesn't really make sense as a 343 replacement. I would have thought that the 772 would be better in that role. Could a mixed 772/773 buy be on the cards? Who knows!