The fundamental problem, as the article mentions, is that many of us will happily pay more to avoid flying through 'hub' airports. For example, while I'm happy to spend a few hours in a Frankfurt lounge on a business trip when I'm being paid to sit there, I absolutely dread going through the place otherwise, and will happily pay an extra couple of hundred dollars to avoid it if I can.
So the A380 is designed to serve a market that passengers don't actually want.