I do appreciate your Old School reference, but when they announced they were "studying" new crew bases, anyone who has been here more than a couple of years just rolled our eyes and scrolled on. They should always be studying new crew bases. Why wouldn't they?
Every commuter in every big city is dying for their place to become a crew base. There are always rumors and there is always hope. Then they have a rally there. Everyone holds their breath and gets ready to uncork the champagne. Than the eventual letdown. Rinse and repeat.