by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:20 AM ET, Mon April 27, 2026
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby penned a letter this week explaining his stance for the rumors of a potential merger between his airline and American Airlines, a move which would create the nation’s largest airline and which has been questioned by both lawmakers and President Donald Trump as likely bad for consumers.
“Over the last two weeks, there's been a lot of commentary about a potential merger between United Airlines and American Airlines. And to be direct, here's what happened: I approached American about exploring a combination because I thought we could do something incredible for customers together,” the letter, penned by Kirby, begins.
“I always knew that the only way any merger could be successful (and approved) is if it was great for customers and with a willing partner that shared my big, bold vision,” Kirby continued. “I was confident that this combination, which would have been about adding and not subtracting, creating a truly great airline that customers love, could get regulatory approval. I was hoping to pitch that story to American, but they declined to engage and instead responded by publicly closing the door. And without a willing partner, something this big simply can't get done.”
The letter goes on to explain what a potential merger with American would have looked like, according to Kirby, including creating “a great, new U.S. airline,” claiming a merger would have created more value for travelers, more routes, more competition with global airlines, create jobs and more.
Kirby also acknowledges that while mergers are typically meant to save struggling businesses from going under, this would not have been the case with United and American, explaining how “... a different kind of merger proposal – one that's focused on growth, customer investments and global competitiveness – would have been a different proposition altogether. And, while divestitures in certain domestic markets obviously would have been required, I believe regulators would have approved such a deal because they would have recognized the benefits to customers, our shared employees and communities from coast-to-coast and around the world.”
Kirby ended his letter with the hope of making United Airlines “the greatest airline in the history of aviation.”
On April 21, President Donald Trump weighed in on the rumors about a potential merger between United Airlines and American Airlines, saying in part that he would be against it.
"I don't mind mergers," Reuters reported Trump saying in an interview. "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."
Trump also mentioned he wouldn't mind another airline merging with Spirit, which is currently struggling financially.
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of senators is concerned about the consumer impact a merger between United Airlines and American Airlines could have, following rumors that have emerged from both United CEO Scott Kirby and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
They sent a letter to CEO Kirby and to American Airlines’ CEO, Robert Isom, explaining why a potential merger would be bad for travelers, leading to higher airfare and fewer flights.
“A combined United-American air carrier would be able to exploit its market power to harm consumers in a number of ways," according to the letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah), which was published in The Wall Street Journal. The letter asks both airline CEOs to respond by May 3.
The concern follows a few weeks of rumors, with Secretary Duffy leading the way, after making note that he and the Transportation Department were open to major airline mergers.
After his initial comment to journalists, word got out that United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, had floated the idea of a merger with American Airlines to President Donald Trump back in February during a closed-door meeting. Kirby served as American’s president before joining United.
Yet American Airlines was swift to reject that rumor, saying in part: “American Airlines is not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines. 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. Our focus will remain on executing on our strategic objectives and positioning American to win for the long term.”
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