There's "perfect" as in "perfectly reliable and perfectly safe" and "perfect" as in "we achieved every last design goal regardless of other factors". That last

There's "perfect" as in "perfectly reliable and perfectly safe" and "perfect" as in "we achieved every last design goal regardless of other factors". That last part is where Airbus may have missed the mark as design goals such as the A380's high floorspace to seat ratio were great decisions given its intended market (long haul flights, customers like space on long haul flights) also led to a less-than-optimal passengers per flight to operating cost per flight ratio in a market where hub to hub demand is declining. It also led to a low maximum takeoff weight for the size of its floorplan, making it useless as a freight/cargo aircraft, the one niche where the ancient 747 still reigns as king of the skies. A more robust design intended to hold more passengers would have also allowed it to carry more cargo which may have saved the program considering how expensive 747s are to operate.