Originally Posted by
dieuwer2
It should be about providing a Skyteam presence. If DL is not willing to entertain BOS-DCA, it may imply that many people will be forced to switch from Skyteam to e.g. Star.
Suppose your travel is DCA-BOS and IAD-AMS. Before the change, your alliance could have been Skyteam or Star. After the change, only Star is a real option. Now, not only did DL loose a customer DCA-BOS, but it also lost a customer IAD-AMS.
You lose customers, you don't loose them.
The reality is that DL can't serve every possible customer on every possible route. Ditto for UA, US, AA, B6, WN, or anyone else. Just as someone who flies DCA-BOS and IAD-AMS may now be inclined to switch to a different alliance, someone that flies BOS-AMS and BOS-ATL would have a lot of incentive to fly DL, rather than US, UA, or any other *A carrier. Does that mean UA needs to launch frequent flights on BOS-ATL and begin TATL service on BOS-AMS/CDG/LHR simply so that they don't lose customers to DL/SkyTeam? DL has a business to run. That business is making money. It is not about having a lot of red lines on a route map.
DL is doubling down on NYC. Frankly, I think that is the right move. Others may disagree, but when the alternative was to still lag *A in DC-area departures AND be limited by capacity constraints in NYC, I think DL made the right choice.