Although I would very much like to fly a A380 one day, I have to say I'm not so sure about the level of success it will enjoy, especially in the short to medium term.
I think there are routes that could benefit from the introduction of this aircraft but they are pretty limited. As several PPRUNE'rs have pointed out, these days travellers (business in particular) prefer frequency and convenience if they only have to pay a small premium for it.
Take BA as an example. One of their busiest routes is UK<-->New York. They have ten or more services a day on three different aircraft types, with each aircraft type being further subdivided into different class/seating arrangements. Even if BA were given an extremely competitive deal on A380s, I doubt if they would want to consolidate their flights as it would lose them premium passengers.
OK, if you wanted to take 700 bucket-and-spaders to Orlando then it might work but the increased turn-around times would lead to less utilisation. Also, Airbus are
claiming only a fairly moderate reduction in seat/mile costs over smaller aircraft - so what will the reality be with all those extra Kg's?
The Far East seems to have more fertile ground in terms of trunk routes and city pairs - and the Mid/Far Eastern carriers are those who have expressed most interest in the A380. Freighter versions should also be popular & show some real advantages.
One thing that crosses my mind about operating with more passengers is the increased likelyhood of a medical diversion. I have diverted more for this cause than any other in my longhaul career. Unless there is a on-board doctor on permanent duty, I feel this could be a BIG problem...
There are many airfields worldwide on which you could safely land an A380 but hardly any on which you could:
a) Leave the runway and be confident of not hitting something
b) Find a stand which would fit and
c) Not completely block up the airfield for everyone else.
I feel nervous with my 200' wide machine sometimes: can't think what 263' span would be like.
Oh, and one more thing; where the **** are they going to put them all at LHR?