Boomer: you may be right about the "money part" . Some managerial accountant has calculated all those costs and determined what (if any) savings are possible. They also have calculated and added the savings gained by eliminating redundant overhead costs experienced with multiple regional support. IMHO money savings are secondary to having Control of resources where Delta can unilaterally make decisions without 'negotiating" with other regional airlines. Trauma (new TA /Contract) once every four years is much more palatable then every 12-14 months when dealing with multiple regionals.

A good example is the XJT "catfight" in progress. Imagine Delta management reading the "XJT Whipsaw thread." With approximately 60 CRJ900 and 700s operated for Delta (more to be added ? ) they are probably wondering who is in charge (control) and how is the outcome going to affect our customer service / safety / costs, etc. ?

My favorite "XJT Whipsaw" post comparing XJT to the recent Delta coordinated Pinnacle TA is: "No way dude, XJT has way too much self respect to let that happen. They will burn it down for the sake of industry!"