On another note.

I personally don't believe there will ever be a pilot shortage, but Delta will certainly have problems with the limitation presented by training capacity. At what point will they realize they need to prepare for these challenges?

I know they will implement seat locks on future new hires. Won't further action be required to alleviate the future strain?

Perhaps, this is an issue we need to be thinking about in our contract negotiations. Historically, most airlines react to problems rather than prevent them and then look to the pilots for relief.