This is the first time that I have read one of these threads from beginning to end and I've decided to give my 2 cents worth....
I'm an American living in Germany and I have no connection to Airbus or Boeing.
I remember the days in the early 70's when the first 747's arrived and adjustments had to be made. Those that wanted their services made the necessary adjustments... either right at the start or later when they discovered how successful the plane was. EVERYONE was skeptical as to whether a pax would want to fly in a plane with sooooooo many people at once.
I, as a pax, am NOT looking forward to flying a 380! Just the thought of the long lines at check-in and especially immigration make my stomach turn! But as a pax I won't have much choice if that's the plane that takes me where I want to go.
All this hype about bars and shops on the plane... nonsense! I used to fly Lufthansa stand-by and often got upgraded. They used to have a nice bar on the top deck, then they had lounge chairs, then sleepers.... all dropped to add more seats! The flights to LAX and other USA ports were always so full that I often feared of getting bumped. The demand was there, but the airlines calculate the cost... sometimes not resulting in less comfort for the pax.
Oh, yes.. we would love to have had the Concorde fly to Germany, but it's too inland and the noise made it not possible (noise abatement is a big issue here). It did fly to an airshow in Frankfurt-Hahn some years ago where I got to see it. I think that was the one and only time it was allowed here.
I don't understand why anyone should bash anyone else! Competition, no matter in what form, has always been GOOD for everone!! In Germany you get evil stares from your neighbors if you dare to show up in a Japanese built car... I know, I dared to own a Toyota once! They cry "buy German" over here!! I now own a Skoda (love it) after owning a VW which caused only problems (I had a Mercedes for 11 years and hated it! but my ex-German husband thought he needed it as a status symbol
).
I go along with Toulous.... stop this silly childish bashing!! It doesn't do ANYONE any good!
Westy