FORT WORTH, TEXAS — United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby confirmed on April 27, 2026, that he approached American Airlines to explore a merger between the two carriers, and that talks ended after American Airlines declined to engage. United Airlines is no longer pursuing a combination with its rival.

"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," Kirby said.

In his statement, Kirby said a merger would create high-paying, unionized jobs, offer more affordable flying options for customers and allow the airline to compete with foreign carriers. He said a combined airline could have offered more choice and more value, with expanded routes, improved loyalty programs and increased seat availability, and would have strengthened the U.S. aviation industry's global competitiveness and boosted domestic job growth. He said any merger would have required both regulatory approval and alignment between the companies.

"By combining our airlines and using that scale to revolutionize our customers' experience, we'd create a new, thriving U.S. airline that would be the very best in the world for customers – full stop," he said. He also said past airline mergers usually focused on cutting costs, flights, and headcount, adding: "My aspirations could not be more different."

Kirby floated the idea of merging United with American to Trump administration officials earlier this month. American said in an April 17 statement that it is not engaged with or interested in any merger discussions with United. "United would be negative for competition and for consumers," the company said.

In a letter to the airline CEOs last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Mike Lee said a merger would weaken industry competition and harm consumers.