Rumors from FAs and pilots are always the best rumors because they spend most of their time exchanging other rumors with employees in the same role (remember playing "telephone" as a child?), thousands of miles away from the true rumor mill in office locations (water coolers, email exchanges), and barely have enough time during their trips to keep up on operational memos that actually pertain to their day-to-day duties.

I'd give this a touch more credibility if changes were happening in the very near term, i.e. a month or two from now. But something happening next year? It's very likely that, other than those at the highest levels of Delta, most people on Virginia Avenue have no idea what is happening next year.