There are several very reliable sources/insiders on another message board who have said the gondola is happening - they said it even before permits were filed. I'll be shocked if it doesn't happen. I'm guessing you haven't seen the high tech gondolas used as mass transit in European and Asian countries. That is the style of gondola Disney will be getting. It's not like the old Sky Ride at MK. Also, it's not unusual for Disney to actually begin the early stages of a project before officially announcing it. I wouldn't assume something's not happening just because Disney hasn't made an official announcement. They like to wait for special events like the D23 Expo coming up in July where they'll make several announcements.
Personally, I have no desire to ride a gondola but I also have no desire to drive our car from our resort to DHS & EP so I'm not sure what we're going to do when this system is in place. I may just need to take a lot of my anti-anxiety meds on our DHS & EP days.
Or we wont be staying at AoA anymore.