The 747 almost sank Boeing in her early days, and her eventual success was at least in part down to the technical issues that plagued the DC-10, and the financial issues that plagued the TriStar. Remember that the term "Jumbo Jet" was originally coined to describe all three.
It's also worth remembering that the European aviation market was a very different beast to that of the US in the '60s and '70s, simply due to the vast difference in size of the countries involved. The market for widebodies in Europe was very limited at first - subsonic air travel in the UK and France was catered for by Viscounts, Vanguards, Caravelles and Tridents - none of which carried many more passengers than Concorde.
Last edited by DozyWannabe; 16th Dec 2010 at 23:32.