DALPA 2008 LOA 19 FAQ
Consolidation will lead to less market fragmentation, which in the long run will create a need to up-gauge many domestic markets, lessening the need for many RJ’s. Currently, high fuel prices make it difficult to achieve profits using 50-seat RJ’s and we see a continued drive by Delta to reduce the use of those aircraft in the future.

DALPA 2012 TA
The rumor that, absent this deal, Delta will simply send the 50-seaters to the desert on their own is at best partially true; over time, it will probably happen, but not for well over a decade.