the likes of Cathay, SIA and the Japanese can run 777s and 744s on short hops and still make a decent profit
35 years ago JAL wanted a high-capacity, short-range aircraft for domestic use. They bought a dozen or so 747SR's, which were 747-100's optimized for short-haul, high-cycle use. All Nippon also bought this model. Since they weren't tanked up with a lot of fuel, the short-field performance was excellent, even with engines derated 10% on the nameplate.
I rode a couple of these flights, and with high-density seating, it was not unusual to have 500 pax on the manifest - PLUS babes in arms.