Reports this week indicated that Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, went directly to President Donald Trump to sell him on the idea of a merger with American Airlines, a move that would leave the U.S. aviation industry with just two “legacy” carriers.
At least for now, however, executives at American are shooting down the idea, and publicly repudiated it in a statement posted to X that nonetheless overflowed with effusive praise for the Trump administration.
“We appreciate the leadership and strong support of President Trump, Secretary Duffy and numerous other leaders in the Administration who have demonstrated expertise and an ongoing commitment to continue to improve the world’s best aviation industry,” began the statement.
“American Airlines is not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines,” the statement continued. “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.”
“We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Administration as it takes steps to strengthen the broader airline industry,” the statement concluded.
This follows reporting that industry lobbyists seeking approval for megamergers that might skirt antitrust law have broadly adopted a strategy of lobbying Trump and those immediately around him directly, rather than going through the traditional attorneys at the Justice Department in charge of reviewing such deals.
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