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.
In fact, the ability to maintain compatibility with current airport infrastructure was one reason why the Boeing 777-300ER became a hot seller. The other was the fact Boeing was able to get 7,800 nautical mile range out of that plane, and that made it a perfect replacement for the Boeing 747-400.