U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is generally comfortable with airline mergers but does not favor a union of United Airlines and American Airlines. Speaking on CNBC, the President reiterated that while consolidation can be acceptable, he would oppose a merger involving those two carriers.
"I don’t mind mergers," Trump said. He added that he would "love somebody to buy" Spirit Airlines, noting that Spirit is currently undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.
Turning to the larger carriers, the President contrasted the health of American and United. "But with American it’s doing fine, and United is doing very well. I know the United people, they’re doing very well. I don’t like having them merge," he said.
The remarks come after reports that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby raised the prospect of a potential merger with American Airlines during a meeting with the President in late February, according to sources cited last week. Those reports prompted a response from American, which on Friday reiterated that it is not interested in pursuing a merger with United.
The President’s comments highlight the political dimension that can surround consolidation in the airline industry. They also underscore an active corporate environment in which bankruptcy cases - such as Spirit’s - and executive discussions about strategic combinations remain topics of public attention.
For now, the public positions are clear: the President signaled opposition to a United-American tie-up, United’s chief executive had previously discussed the idea privately with the President, and American has publicly declined interest in a merger.
Additional market commentary contained in the source material referenced trading interest in United Airlines stock, though American’s posture remains a clear rejection of a combination with United.
Taken together, these developments illustrate a mix of corporate outreach, executive-level conversations, and political commentary that will inform how merger discussions proceed or stall in the airline sector.