cxorist,
Your sources have always been a joke.
You don't know that Cathay has 275 seats on the 4 class 777-300ER, and sprout numbers about other airlines you don't work for like fact.
There is a 186 seat difference between the Lufthansa 526 seat A380 and their 340 seat 747-8i. On average their 747-8i have 363 seats, and their A380s 508 seats. An average difference of a 145 seats, more than what they carry in a 737 or A319.
Emirates on average have 357 seats on their long haul 777-300ERs (those with first class), and 503 seats on their A380s.
Lufthansa has 5 more seats on their A380s than Emirates has on theirs, and Lufthansa has on average 6 more seats on their 747-8is than Emirates has on their 777-300ERs. How many more tonnes per hours for 6 seats ? You claim the 747-8i is on par with the 777-300ER.
No way in the world is there a 2-3% seat delta at Lufthansa, their 747-8is would probably have a 5-10% higher cost per seat than Emirates has on their 777-300ERs.
Remember how you were saying an A380 did not have the range for North America, Emirates on a daily basis fly routes with the A380 longer than HKG-JFK, or needed massive fuel buildups to fly Hong Kong to Europe as there were no alternates ? Yet how many airlines have operated from Asia to a Europe ?