Hardly. If you listen to Delta's recent remarks, they want to get out of contract flying with less reliable carriers and whittle down to one or two reliable regionals. There is no plan to completely do away with the regional feed - likely 9E out east, SkyWest out west. Upgauge to CSeries and 717s where feasible, and stick with 76-seaters owned by Delta.

Will 50 seat flying go away? More than likely, but not while gas is still reasonable. It's not about short sightedness, it's about the reality of the regional industry. The economics are working, and once the new aircraft are online, they'll take a longer look at what's possible. For now, if I'm at a contract carrier, I'd be pushing up my game so DL keeps me around as long as possible.