Airbus rolls out first A350-1000

Only time will tell.

Hopefully more A380's

Hopefully not – ugliest plane in the sky, though it is subjective.

So what even if it might be one of the ugliest it shouldn't put anyone off flying in one. It is a superbly well engineered aircraft that says comfort more than any other aircraft. Plus even for the people who may call it ugly does it matter when your inside (and marvel and the fantastic cabins that airlines can offer in the A380)

Tupolev (famous soviet era aerospace engineer) said onece “Ugly plane will never fly”. Strictly speaking incorrect, but I agree with his sentiments. It is very pleasant when plane looks nice, especially in the sky. Above all (if not count military stuff) I like B747 – IMHO best looking big plane. In general Airbus planes looks plain, though A350 looks not bad. A380 IMHO is just ugly double-deck hangar with wings. YMMV of course.

And BTW would you buy car that looks ugly outside and incredibly comfy inside? Most likely not.

in my view when t comes to attractive looking planes, I go for the 707 and more recently the A340... very pretty

I don't know about you, but when i fly I look for comfort and space, particularly when in these things for 20+ hours. Clearly many people like the A380 as they seek this aircraft out of any other. It's certainly better then the over rated 787 anyday!!

Comfort inside airplane mainly governs by installed seats. So any day I will prefer business seats in my most hated airplane to economy seats in most adorable. There is one noticeable exception – modern aircrafts that made of composite materials (B787 and A350) can withstand more pressure, so they pump more air inside and this definitely increase apparent comfort. So all the same I rather fly B787/A350 than A380 - IMHO they far better. Comfort of flight is govern by carrier – i.e. how much effort they prepare to put to avoid any potential turbulence. So all the same I would prefer full service carrier to any low cost one – later most concentrated on fuel savings rather than passengers comfort.

BTW I read an article that speculates that if we see oil price at current level long enough then superjumbos will be doomed. It is because they loose the edge to be competitive per seat in situation when fuel is most expensive part of the flight. When fuel relatively cheap operation cost and ability to be more flexible with load (easier on smaller aircrafts) take precedence. So that article predict that 2 engine medium to big size aircrafts will dominate the sky in next decade. Generally I agree.

As I have no control over what aircraft airlines will order, all I can do is hope for the A380's spacious and quite cabin. Whatever happens to the super jumbo in the future is not upto me, I will fly to Europe/States/Asia in whatever aircraft that is flying on the day I need to travel, I just hope it's the big bird.

Is B777 or A350 not big enough for you?

I do like the B777 and im sure I will like the A350 also when I get the opportunity to fly in one, however I just prefer the A380. 

More likely B777-8 given the commonality between the 787 and 777X

This commonality argument for the B777 doesn't make much sense, seeing as the A350 shares cockpit commonality with both the A330 and A380. Would it be economical to retrain hundreds of airbus pilots to Boeing?

That's true but given the A330s will most likely be replaced by B787-9/10s. And A380 eventually either 777-9/10 or A350-2000. 

in my mind I just think Qantas will end up with an all Boeing wide body fleet. Now I'm not a Boeing fanboy or someone who says if it ain't Boeing I'm not going. 

I did. No wonder that it without engines - article clearly says “set to make its maiden flight by year's end”

There are no A380 freighters, got canned early on.

As for orders of 747 and A380 about equal over the past few years. 4 for 747 and 5 for A380 in past 2 years or so.

And the B777-9 and is a further 2.9m longer

No, A346 is about 1.6m longer.  747-8 almost another 1m longer again !