Originally Posted by
BearX220
The US airlines learned from the 747 experience the dreadful cost of imposing an oversized aircraft on secondary markets. Only UA kept their 747s around through the 21st century. AA parked the last of theirs in the 1980s, and DL, EA, National, etc. got rid of their 747s quickly in the '70s. 747 costs helped kill Pan Am. With those cautionary lessons in mind, no US operator was ever a candidate for the A380.
I'm curious how this analysis reflects on the perception that the 747 commoditized air travel - i.e. made it accessible to the masses. I don't disagree with your point, just genuinely curious why if the plane was bad economically, it has this reputation.