Originally Posted by
bhrubin
Airbus made a bad bet in the 1990s that airlines would prefer bigger 4 engine jets.
That's not the bet. The 4 engine part was secondary to the size bet, which drove the engine choice. And they didn't "bet wrong." They simply estimated demand incorrectly: Maybe you should be upset at them for failing to predict the future (including a global economic collapse)?
The A380 is a wonderfully engineered plane...but not a success in terms of profit and business. That is called a business failure.
Yes, and? They're not going out of business. They made a call and got it wrong due to several related and unrelated factors. It happens. I'm not sure why everyone has their knickers in a twist over it - is it really just because it is/was a flagship product at the time of launch? Hardly a shock. Look at at any other company and they will screw things up periodically.