That said, I wonder how the Rat gets around it for LAX-JFK??
I don't believe they uplift any pax... that would explain it.
SFO is no doubt the go... thats where Virgin America are (or at least were last I heard) planning to start from... Atlantic also fly in there regularly. New terminal, with numerous connections available, as well as 'round the world' services. Fog could become a problem though at times, especially when combined with SYD/MEL at the other end!
You can forget Portland... too reliant on other airlines to deliver to final destination... you need a better catchment area.
Don't know if OAK is set up for INTL flights (customs, quarantine, holding etc).