Interesting. Has it, perhaps, occurred to you that Airbus is ACTUALLY gunning for the 777-200 and not the 787 with the A350? the bigger A350 is similar in size to the 777-200.
One other minor detail - if you have more seats (which does ususally mean a heavier aircraft), you can divide the operating costs over that higher number of seats.
Tell us Bmused, what is your breakdown of the operating cost per seat of the 787-8 and -9, the 777-200 and the A350-800 and -900? Please, present those figures here and let's see some justification for your "no-hoper" statement.
And while you are at it, why not present us with a breakdown of OEW per seat as well. Then we'll see how they really match up.
And by the way, another detail, but the A350-800 will fly further than the 787-8 by all accounts, so let's assume range neutral, shall we?