Originally Posted by bhrubin

The only non-state owned or non-majorly state-subsidized/partially state-owned airlines with the A380 are Lufthansa, Qantas, Air France, British Air, Korean, and Asiana. All other top ranked and A380 carriers are state owned or heavily subsidized (Emirates, Etihad, Malaysian, Singapore, Thai, and China Southern).

It is not surprising that the carriers with the most A380s rely heavily on state support/subsidies and vanity/ego when utilizing such large aircraft without the concern for cost/benefit and profit. The private enterprise carriers with A380s have all cut back on their A380 orders because they need to consider the cost/benefit and profits, and they all now understand that the A380 does not deliver in that way as much as other aircraft.

The US carriers DL, AA, and UA might not have A380s but they are among the most profitable carriers in the world. I'd say the US carriers knew what they were doing when they decided against the A380.