But what happened was Boeing's unexpected success with the 777-300ER and the strong sales of the 787-8 and 787-9, which has proven that passengers want point-to-point long-range flights, not hub-to-hub long-range flights. Indeed, the 787-9 made it possible for several Chinese airlines to fly from multiple cities in China directly to western Europe and the USA at reasonable cost.
I think only the airlines ever liked hub and spoke. So being able to breakup that model is a good move. And of course Boeing was careful to make sure their new planes fit in the old infrastructure.
It’s funny but when A380 development was started many right here on FR were criticizing Boeing for letting somebody else take the lead. I and a few others thought it was a good move as the cutting edge isn’t always good. And here we are now, Boeing’s decision was right.