Impressive stuff - Boeing should be proud.
That said, how is the B787 being more fuel-efficient than an A330 supposed to be surprising? It's like comparing a 2008 Toyota Prius with a 1992 BMW!
There'll be no meaningful like-for-like comparison in that regard until the A350 goes into service, and even then there are subtle but important differences in the specifications of both.
Fuel efficiency is but one factor in the total cost of ownership, and there things tend to get complicated. Airbus's ace in the hole has always been much more cost-effective conversion training between types, and Boeing has never tried to compete in that regard. Conversely, Boeing have tended to have the edge in terms of raw performance - but up until recently they have tended to compete directly on a common vision of how civil aviation works. This represents the first time in the last 30 years that either company has staked its reputation and future on a significantly different view of future demand.
The truth is that as end-users and customers our needs are best served in the short term by both major airframe builders being successful, because history teaches us that monopolies are usually a bad thing.
(As an aside, my experience teaches me that MBAs are like foundation IT courses in that they give people just enough information to be dangerous without the requisite background knowledge)
Last edited by DozyWannabe; 13th Nov 2012 at 21:36.