Originally Posted by
kjnangre
3 or 4 years ago, UA was in complete disarray (operating with 2 separate unions that weren't interchangeable, angry employees were trying to get the CEO fired, etc). I thought Delta could have stepped up with a bunch of SFO routes and really shaken UA's fortress hub. UA was in no position to respond to that challenge. Alas, they didn't do that.
That timeframe, not coincidentally, was when VX swung to profit in a consistent way for the first time. They capitalized where DL didn't.
As for SFO-ORD -- look, this is basic economics. You've already got four airlines crowding this route (UA, AA, AS/VX, WN to MDW) plus NK out of OAK, and the yields are terrible. I just priced a VX one-way SFO-ORD for three weeks from now, and it's $90. Why would DL want to make a bloodbath bloodier?
DL is staying out of that market for the same reasons the Queen Mary doesn't run between Staten Island and lower Manhattan. There's already more than enough capacity on the route, they'd never make any money, and DL's mission lies elsewhere.