It is my experience that Chief Pilots get the inside scoop at Management meetings - and then moments later that information is leaked to the Pilot Union. Therefore Pilot rumors are usually more reliable than the jumpseat chatter of Flight Attendants.
Still don't buy it for a nanosecond. We've heard these rumors for years. Nothing's come of them.
Delta needs more of a west coast presence. Delta is now the world's largest airline - so could easily sync with AS and old AS routes could survive without the need of AA feeder traffic.
So why not use AS codeshares and get
the exact same routes that exist today, instead of having to buy an airline and subsequently hand over customers to WN, VX and B6 when a bunch of existing AS routes turn unprofitable under DL's cost structure, and minus AA pax?
The point of codesharing is you GET the benefits of the AS network for free... without having the headaches of a merger.
The day DL buys AS is the day champagne corks go off in various LCC corporate offices.
Oh, and SkyPiles sucks as a mileage plan. DL would instantly lose me as a customer (as opposed to now, where I will happily fly them because I can accrue miles on AS). I'd rather fly WN/VX/B6 domestic, and I'd probably switch to AA international, or maybe go with DL and find another SkyTeam member's plan that doesn't suck so hard and denominate their awards in Zimbabwe miles.