If I was Delta-N or Delta-S, and lived in FL, I'd be praying for BOS to open up and real keen on waiting to see what moves into DTW and NYC before I make a move for heavy equipment in ATL. Sure, its a shorter commuting flight but its also a popular one with no seats in the back and a guaranteed battle for the jumpseat. If you're not going to hold commutable lines, why bother with ATL? If you can hold 765 NYC and hold good lines in DTW with more growth in the size of aircraft operated out of there (i.e. more 7ERs), then why commute to reserve or to the bottom of ATL?

I think we need to get to SOC and then really see what happens. Commuters have a nack for finding the path with least resistance. I've been both and right now I don't fear as much as I enjoy what I have now. If I have to commute, I have to commute but doing it at Delta beats the years of commuting I did with no CASS, no seats, no priority, no commutable trips and a "bloated" fifth year $27,000 a year pay unable to waste money on a crashpad... hello lazy boy. But I've also slept ontop of A/C vents in EWR when there was no room in the inn, crew room or baggage room and I've bathed many a time in the airport sink. Commuting on Delta was significantly better.