Originally Posted by
oliver2002
The fuel cost is not a big factor in A380s as the fuel used per passenger is still competitive. Not as good as for A359 or B789, but still better than A330 or B77W.
Originally Posted by
worldclubber
As oliver2002 said, fuel per seat is not the issue. Filling the seats is the more relevant question...
I understand the A380 is competitive on a fuel-per-seat basis. That is not the issue. The issue is the massive number of seats on the A380.
In times of higher fuel prices, airlines tend to increase fares (or implement "fuel surcharges," which to the consumer has the same result). All else being equal, higher prices = less demand = more difficult to fill lots of huge aircraft that need to be full to be profitable. So that could spur a more rapid retirement of A380s.