As designed and flown it doesn't have the structural strength or power to deliver as promised; once they factored in the extras (showers, clubs, stores, etc) it would be overweight, underpowered and structurally weak. That is why they immediately had to delay the intended rollout date...and the modifications are going to cut into cost/performance estimates.
It's a design dinosaur, taking 40 year old design and construction to an extreme.
It's inflexible for changing routes. Yes, an airline could condense two-three flights into one, however, it can't work backwards. If that route is suddenly less productive you can't leave one third of the plane at home. Also consider the fact that you now offer one flight time a day, not two or three like your competitors.
Lastly, look at the L1011. It was one of the best airliners ever built. Soon after it started operating one went down in the Florida everglades when a 5 cent light bulb burned out...and pilot error. Because of the high loss of life and media coverage orders for this new plane dried up over night, airlines already flying them sold them off and the company building them eventually went under. WHEN a 380 goes in it's going to be horrible.
Lockheed? They're still around but of course, no longer in the commercial airline biz.
Lockheed is still in business. They did however, get out of the commercial market. The reason L-1011 production stopped is because Lockheed lost market share to McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10, Boeing with the 767 and Airbus with the A300.
Because of the high loss of life and media coverage orders for this new plane dried up over night, airlines already flying them sold them off and the company building them eventually went under.
Baloney. The Eastern crash in the Everglades occurred in December of 1972, nearly 11 years prior to the cessation of production in October of 1983. 229 aircraft were delivered post crash. Even though they built 252 Tristars they never recouped their development costs, loosing $2.5 billion on the project. Competition is what killed the L-1011.
Wrong
Delta was still flying them DFW to Frankfurt as late as 1992.
and the company building them eventually went under.
And Wrong. Although the engine maker took one on the chin.