Can't see an quad with reduced cargo space, lower MTOW, reduced passenger space, and range making it into service unless Boeing pretty much give it away.
Hmm, not sure what you mean by this. The 747-8 has much more cargo capacity, after bags, than the 380 with a full load of passengers.
Also, I did say I do think EK taking any 747-8s is highly unlikely. I was merely positing a couple reasons for why they would possibly even think about it.
The new engines are all well and good but so long as the 380 gets them I doubt Ek will be interested, the 777/380 fleet mix wouldn't leave much space for a748...I would be interested to see the fuel burn per passenger when compared with that of a current-generation 380 on identical sectors as well
That's the issue though. The 380neo is anything but guaranteed at the moment. In fact, EK, the biggest advocate for doing it, has also said that they would continue to buy the current 380 if Airbus doesn't do it.
With respect to fuel numbers, I too believe it would be very interesting to see. Lufthansa currently operates both types, Korean will starting next year, and Transaero in 2016 I believe. The most recent numbers I recall seeing from some Lufthansa presentation showed the 747-8 burning a few tenths more than the 380, however that was before the 747-8 PIP and other improvements. It should be noted that later 380 frames have also continued to be improved in that timeframe.
As for marketing and how LH utilizes them compared to a 380, I believe that they deploy them with almost the same amount of premium capacity that a 380 has, and they utilize them in markets where there are not as many economy passengers typically, or they alternate seasonally with the 380 when the economy load is seasonal.