BS,
I was talking about 747-8, but if you want to talk about the current 747 performance ...... A380 excels at pax numbers, however it does no better than the current 747ER at payload over long ranges (and even has problems taking all Pax baggage).
747ER LAX-MEL ... same payload as A380, 30t less fuel burn, but then I was talking about the 747-8 in 3 class ... different and better animal. From what I've been able to see, below 6,000 nm, A380 comes into its own, above that the current 747 has better payload economics.
Your statements about the 744 problems into service re the A380 are not correct. The 744 had problems for about 6 months after it was introduced. QF received their A380s at least a year after it was introduced and had significant problems. But then I'm being dragged into something I was not looking to.....
My original post was that with the 3 class config (now that QF wants to do away with much of First Class ) ..... 747-8 may well be worth looking at - 400 seats 3 class, better seat mile, cheaper overall sector cost ..... wider choice of airports, but then as I said .. not going to happen.
N