United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby tried to reframe his failed merger approach to American Airlines as a growth plan for US aviation, arguing that a combination of the two carriers could have strengthened their global airline position even after American publicly rejected the idea.
Kirby confirmed in a statement on April 27, 2026, that he approached American about exploring a combination, but said the Fort Worth-based carrier declined to engage. He said the idea is now “off the table for the foreseeable future” because a deal of that size cannot proceed without a willing partner.
“I approached American about exploring a combination because I thought we could do something incredible for customers together,” Kirby said.
The statement marked Kirby’s most direct public effort to explain the proposal after American closed the door on merger talks. Kirby had raised the idea with President Donald Trump in February, and American later declined to engage in discussions.
American had already said it was not interested in a merger with United and warned that such a deal would be negative for competition and consumers.
Kirby used the statement to argue that a United-American merger would have differed from past airline combinations, which he said often involved struggling carriers cutting costs, flights, and jobs. He said his proposal would have focused on growth, customer investment, and global competitiveness.
“The bold idea I wanted to pursue was about growth that would usher in a brand new era of leadership by US aviation,” Kirby said.
Kirby added that a combined airline could have expanded United’s customer strategy across a larger network, created a more valuable loyalty program, added more international flying, and increased service to smaller communities.
He also argued that a larger US carrier could compete more effectively against foreign airlines. Kirby said foreign-flag carriers operate about 65% of long-haul seats into the United States, while foreign citizens account for about 40% of those passengers.
The proposal would have faced major antitrust questions. In January 2024, a federal judge blocked JetBlue Airways’ planned $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines, finding that the deal would harm competition. JetBlue and Spirit abandoned the merger in March 2024.
Kirby acknowledged that a United-American combination would have drawn skepticism from government officials and would have required divestitures in some domestic markets. Still, he said he believed regulators could have approved the deal if they viewed it as a growth-focused merger rather than a cost-cutting transaction.
He said United will now continue with its existing strategy.
“While our pursuit of talks with American have ended, our mission to build the greatest airline in the history of aviation at United is well underway,” Kirby said.
