Originally Posted by slowplay

This goes back to the crux of why there is code sharing.

Using the premise that all Delta coded flying be done by Delta pilots, our network (meaning in this case flights flown by Delta pilots) would be substantially smaller than it is today.

Oz - USA is a strategic route for VA. It is a boutique route to DL. Boutique routes go away when they don't make money. Strategic routes are ones that you "have" to fly in order to stay in business. Under Delta's current strategy, an example of strategic routes would be transcons to business markets; even though they're overserved and have tremendous competition, we have to be in them in order to maintain coporate contracts that pay the freight on the rest of our network.

So without the codeshare, we pull out of Oz. We also lose the 100-200 pax daily that VA puts into our network and the LAX 737 or 757 daily departures shrink by 1. It works the opposite way too. We fly to Sidney. VA takes our pax to Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. Lose those pax and our Sydney flight is no longer profitable, as they then go to Qantas.

My example is oversimplified, but let me know if it doesn't speak to your point.