United Airlines ends pursuit of rival American after merger approach rebuffed

1 1 minute read

United Airlines announced on Monday that it has decided to end its pursuit of a merger with American Airlines. This decision came after American Airlines declined to engage in discussions following an initial approach.

United CEO Scott Kirby expressed his disappointment, stating, “I was hoping to pitch that story to American, but they declined to engage and instead responded by publicly closing the door.”

Earlier this month, reports revealed that Kirby had raised the idea of a potential merger with American during a meeting with President Trump to discuss the future of Washington’s Dulles airport.

A merger between two of the largest US network carriers would have marked the biggest consolidation move in more than a decade REUTERS

Kirby also mentioned that American’s public comments have indicated that a merger is not on the table for the foreseeable future.

American Airlines chose not to comment on Kirby’s statement but referred to CEO Robert Isom’s recent remarks, where he firmly rejected the idea of a merger, citing concerns about competition and its impact on customers.

The potential merger between United and American, two major US network carriers, raised concerns about antitrust risks and the impact on the domestic airline market dominated by four major players.

Kirby emphasized that any deal would have increased economy seats in the market but assured that it wouldn’t lead to price hikes for customers.