United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said on Monday that he personally contacted American Airlines in the past two weeks to probe the possibility of combining the two carriers. According to Kirby, American rejected the approach and publicly closed off discussions before any formal negotiations began.
Kirby described the proposed transaction as focused on growth rather than the cost-cutting approach common in earlier airline consolidations. He said the merged carrier would have pursued expansion of service and employment instead of reduced flight schedules and workforce eliminations.
On employment, Kirby asserted the deal would have produced "tens of thousands" of new unionized jobs and extended air service to smaller communities as well as to more international destinations. He also argued the combined carrier would have amplified United’s customer-oriented investments - including newer aircraft, complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi, and enhanced technology - by making those improvements available to a larger pool of travelers.
Kirby pointed to competitive dynamics on long-haul routes into the United States, noting that foreign carriers operate roughly 65% of long-haul seats into the country while serving about 40% of foreign citizens. He said a larger U.S. carrier could better compete with those international airlines. He added the deal would have supported American manufacturing through additional aircraft orders and contributed to the U.S. economy by increasing both domestic and international service.
The United chief acknowledged that the transaction would have required divestitures in some domestic markets. He expressed confidence that regulators would have approved the merger on the basis of the customer benefits and job creation he described.
Not all reactions were favorable. Senator Richard Blumenthal publicly opposed the potential merger on the social platform X, posting:
"My advice to United: don’t even try."
With talks ended, Kirby said United will carry on with its existing strategy and operations with its workforce of 115,000 employees.
The outreach to American did not advance into formal bargaining because American declined to engage, leaving the proposal as an unconsummated approach from United’s leadership.