boeing boeing.. gone
Seat mile costs is what the airlines are interested in. If Boeings figures are accurate then it is 13% more efficient than the B747-400 and 6% more efficient than the A380. According to their web sight it is designed to fill the 400-500 seat pax market.
Seat-mile costs for the 747-8 Intercontinental are 13 percent lower than the 747-400, with 2% lower trip costs. The 747-8 Intercontinental is more than 10 percent lighter per seat than the A380 and consumes 11 percent less fuel per passenger. That translates into a trip-cost reduction of 21 percent and a seat-mile cost reduction of more than 6 percent compared to the A380.