A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
IIRC the VA flights tend to leave slightly later from LAX, but given the need to go landside and change terminals, it would generally be tough to be rebooked onto VA for the same day.
Also IIRC there were reports earlier of people being booked on the direct flight ATL-LAX-SYD and missing the second portion of it. So I'm not convinced that DL necessarily holds the LAX-SYD flight.