American Airlines has rejected the idea of a potential merger with rival United Airlines after days of speculation.
"American Airlines is not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines," the carrier said in a statement on Friday. "Our focus will remain on executing on our strategic objectives and positioning American to win for the long term."
The clarification comes just days after news outlets began reporting rumors that United CEO Scott Kirby met with President Donald Trump to pitch the idea of a combined airline just days before the start of the Israeli-U.S. war on Iran in late February.
Kirby's argument for the merger was that a combined airline would be better positioned to compete globally. However, American pushed back, claiming a merger with United would be bad for travelers.
"While changes in the broader airline marketplace may be necessary, a combination with United would be negative for competition and for consumers, and therefore inconsistent with our understanding of the administration’s philosophy toward the industry and principles of antitrust law," American went on to say.
This all comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's recent comments about being open to a major potential airline merger and the Trump administration taking a very clear pro-business approach to White House policy.
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