MAN7777 - that's spotter logic if I ever heard it. If you have to fly somewhere and are forced to change aircraft en-route, what does it matter if the change is an hour down route in AMS or 9 hours down route DXB. Are you seriously saying that if the change via a european hub was cheaper or had shorter total journey times, you'd still opt for the longer-haul hub purely and simply that the first leg of the flight was 'long-haul'. That's your own choice, but Joe Public doesn't operate that.
On a serious note, sad to see MH go, but proof that filling aircraft with Brit holidaymakers using these types of flights to connect onwards, doesn't make money. Margins historically were wafer thin on these types of routes. The fuel cost escalation has just blown what profit was there right out of the water. I actually wonder how SQ, QR etc make any money these days.
loco