What happened to 'Four engines for long haul'? Wasn't that one of the slogans Sir Richard had on his a/c?
And why introduce a new type such as the 777, with all the associated crew conversion costs involved, when the A340-600 is already in service with Virgin Atlantic? Surely it makes better sense to increase the current fleet size?
Plus it won't take much to convert from the A340-600 to the A380 in a few years' time.....