Here's a quote from Anderson's Senate committee testimony:

The phenomenal growth of Atlanta and the southeast in general is directly related to the superior service offered from Hartsfield Jackson Airport
in Atlanta, largely by Delta. We intend to continue with these traditions and to remain the airline providing the most service to small communities from strategically located hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, New York, Memphis, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City. This is not just customer service, it is good business—we have committed publicly that we will not close any hub as a result of this merger. To keep these hubs profitable, we need
the traffic from small communities around the country. A robust hub system is critical to the services desired by small communities.

The critical element: will not close. That's different from will not cut.

http://www.newglobalairline.com/news...son_senate.pdf