true -- the bigger the plane, the bigger the theoretical fuel economy.
In general.
But given two jets the same size, the one with four engines is going to be less efficient than the twin.
And when you have a big plane, you only realize those economies when you fill it up.
Smaller aircraft give you discrete numbers to play with. If 3 787s can carry the same load as 1 A380, and the seat mile cost is similar - the choice is easy. You can always cancel two of the three flights in a day.
But we'll see. I'm perfectly willing to have my dubious economic theories disproven.
But if I could condense the blather into a basic point, it would this:
The A380's success hinges upon a series of predictions about the future of air travel coming true. There are factors out there that suggest such predictions may not come true. As evidence comes out that the future will be different from Airbus' vision, the appeal of the A380 drops off. Add in the current setbacks and even greater perceived risk about the A380, and the chances of EADS losing its corporate shirt on this one are pretty good.
By the way, the L1011 is still the best widebody ever built.