The long talked about advent of Delta to SYD could be the nail in the coffin for Virgin Aust. It is difficult to see how Virgin Aust can compete in the U.S against Delta with a fleet of over 1,100 aircraft and a huge network catchment area.
I would expect Delta to now order the B777-300ER as their current B777-200 fleet is not the most suitable for the transpacific. It may be prudent for Virgin Aust to offer Delta their B777-300ER fleet. By doing so Virgin Aust would postpone their U.S service to a more suitable future date.