I'm definitely within this target, and the A380 precisely is what made me switch my own tiny business as a frequent traveller between Europe and S-E Asia from Etihad to Emirates. They offer roughly the same fares, plus or minus variations based on season and promotions, but the service on the A380 is so much better than on the A330/B777 Etihad uses on these routes. Roomier, so much quieter. And yes, they do seem to manage to fill them up so I presume that these flights make money.
An therein lies the power of market forces. Your own 'tiny business' adds with everyone else's to move billions of dollars. Your views really, really matter to airlines like Emirates and manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus.
Now imagine if Emirates replaced A380 on your route with something noisier and / or more cramped. I can't imagine that you'd be very pleased. Forgive me for putting words into your keyboard, but I guess that you'd start shopping around for a better deal?
How to Replace the A380?
Emirates themselves have said that their passengers are choosing A380 first, with only half an eye on price. They even have a modest transatlantic trade with passengers choosing to fly US->Dubai->Europe instead of US->Europe direct on US based airlines.
Conclusion: they cannot replace their A380s with something less comfortable, otherwise it really will then be all about price, especially if their competition retains A380 comfort levels.
Achieving that with Boeing products looks difficult at the moment. 787 is too narrow (so "roominess" is too expensive for the operator), and is only quiet if the heavy sound proofing is installed (most airlines don't fit it in economy). 777x isn't going to be that much different to the old 777 roominess-wise, and with thinner walls it probably isn't going to be much quieter.
I think the A380's benchmark is going to be here to stay. And with airport landing slot congestion, the A380 (or something that size) will increasingly be needed to deliver that benchmark.