As long as there is a domestic codeshare with AS the "line in the sand" about 76-seats at DCI seems academic to me:

• AS can carry 86 pax per plane, DCI caps out at 76
• AS can perform up to 25% of all hub-to-hub flying, DCI is limited to 6%

So in a nutshell AS can do more than four times the hub-to-hub flying compared to what DCI is permitted to fly, and SEA and LAX are specifically excluded as hubs...
I want that type of scope closed, pronto. Same goes for Virgin Australia and the imminent JV:

• VA gets 3 LAX Australia flights, DAL get one
• VA flies 777-300, DAL flies 777-200
• Vigin Australia pilots connect beyond pax in Australia
• In the US AS, DCI and Delta share beyond passengers

All of this is possible as long as Delta maintains 4 flights/week to Australia.
In return Delta can place it's code on unlimited VA flights so long as it's not more than 175 pax

In speaking to other pilots recently I noticed that many seem unaware or uninformed about these arrangements, perhaps because the side of the plane doesn't sport the name Delta "as part of a phrase," but the threat from domestic codeshare and international JVs is real and we are contractually naked when it comes to either...
As crappy as the current 3-year open compliance window is for our AFKLM/AZ JV, the rest of that agreement still is some of the best codeshare language we have. Close the 3 year window and make it right and I won't have complaints...
Looking ahead debating the 76-seat conundrum seems petty considering multinational JVs.

What if Delta entered into a JV with Emirates tomorrow?



As it stands today our PWA, Delta could place 175 pax on every Emirates flight...so long as there were 4 Delta flights per week to DXB,
Closing that loophole is a much more pressing concern. What is the CASM for Emirates on the 777-300ER, or the A380?

Cheers
George