Boeing's contention has for a long time been that there's more to be
gained by having more direct routes served by smaller planes.

Apparently Airbus shares that view, hence the A350 : )

Although both companies are still pretty far apart on their forecast
numbers for large transports. If Boeing gets off its arse and makes a
decision on the 747 Advanced that'll be a much less risky option than
the A380 for many airlines.