The problem with the above speculation is that they are pay protecting those downgraded captains until they upgrade again (according to LOA 50). So where is the savings there? Thats not even increased fo wages, its having fos on captain pay. I wouldnt be at all surprised if they wind up keeping those guys on captain pay MUCH longer than just the middle of next year. Their ability to "anticipate" has left much to be desired by their own admission. The other thing is that attrition is still coming off the top of the list; and in higher numbers than the bottom most recently. This will require hiring. If they cant hire now, they certainly wont be able to after even more fos leave.

I cant believe DL mgt would allow such a liability to their NYC operation. LGA slots are a hot commodity. If they wind up routinely cancelling flights due to staffing issues I could see other airlines making a lot of noise about it.