I call it eating the seed corn. This is what starving peasants sometimes did in winter - leaving them nothing to plant in spring and certain death.
Throw International to the wolves.
Watch Virgin slice into their domestic market share.
Leaving them with the bastard child Jetstar - which no one wants to fly.
Joyce and the Board are clutching at straws.
....at least until that takeover bid arrives, the airline goes private and voila! It is suddenly profitable again!