United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby (L) and American Airlines CEO Robert Isom listen as U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to reporters outside the White House on October 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
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United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby confirmed on Monday that he approached American Airlines about a potential merger, a possibility American rejected.
“I approached American about exploring a combination because I thought we could do something incredible for customers together,” Kirby said in a statement. He said he shared his “big, bold vision” because he was confident it could win regulatory approval.
American rejected the idea and its CEO, Robert Isom, last week said such a merger would be bad for customers and “anticompetitive.”
Kirby had floated the idea to the Trump administration earlier this year, according to a person familiar with the matter, in hopes that that the combination would mean a big global airline to compete with foreign rivals.
“I was hoping to pitch that story to American, but they declined to engage and instead responded by publicly closing the door,” Kirby said in his statement on Monday. “And without a willing partner, something this big simply can’t get done.”
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