I just don’t see the traffic there. Who flies in planes with 400 other people? Imagine the lines at that airport? Imagine that many people going through security? Bizarre. Imagine baggage handling for 400 people.Imagine when one of those crashes. I suspect if they do make them they’ll fly half empty and what a waste of resources.
Fly the NW Airlines flights 7 and 8 from Shanghai to Tokyo or Tokyo to Shanghai route sometime... A 747-400 with 416 seats, and most days you will find every seat full.
They can actually load and unload that plane pretty quick, by use of two gangways. Security delays aren’t an issue, since you typically have a few dozen planes boarding at any time anyway so the airport is already staffed up for considerably more than 400 people.
Most of the time it takes about 30 minutes to go from doors open to getting my ride - exiting the plane, walking the airport, customs, baggage. Pretty efficient if you do it right...
I take it you haven't flown since they took propellers off of passenger planes. (Delta stopped flying DC-7s about the time it started flying 747s.)
Shoot, imagine going through Customs with 500+ p*ssed-off passengers?