I was told that Delta want to re activate all their Delta Connection 737-200s

Delta own the 737s outright, thus any profit made with them is 100% theirs… no leases etc to pay.

This is exactly the same situation as NWA and their DC-9’s.

The latest announcement from Delta regarding their cost cutting was to shutdown their DFW hub and eliminate 4 fleet types. Included in that list of 4 fleet types was the 732 (as well as 762, MD-11 and MD-90 as far as I can tell). Unless something more recent has come out since then the 732’s probably going away.

I agree about aircraft ownership. Even with their poor fuel efficiency, NWA is better of running their old DC-9’s since they own those outright rather than lease new more efficient aircraft. In tough times though it seems that even that small advantage is undone by maintaining parts stores and training for such a model.