United CEO floated idea of United-American merger, sources say

U.S. United CEO floated idea of United-American Airlines merger, sources say By Kris Van Cleave Kris Van Cleave Kris Van Cleave Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. Read Full Bio Kris Van Cleave Updated on: April 14, 2026 / 7:20 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google United CEO Scott Kirby floated the idea to Trump administration officials of United merging with American Airlines, according to sources familiar with the situation. That conversation with officials is surfacing now after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hinted the Trump administration was open to further consolidation in the aviation industry, but United would have a challenging road to show such a combination would improve competition or not raise costs for flyers. Such a combination would not be out of line with comments Kirby has made in the past about being better able to compete against other global airlines.Kirby told CBS News in a September 2025 interview that about two thirds of the long-haul international seats to and from the United States are foreign-flag carriers, even though only 40% of the customers on airplanes are foreign citizens."Figuring out how to close that trade deficit with international airlines is one of the things we're got to spend the next few years working on and trying to do," Kirby said. "Figuring out how to create a great American airline that all Americans can be proud of that competes not just on schedules but on quality and product and service, is the mission for us, it's not straightforward cause we've got to do it in a way that makes money, but that's a goal that we have set for ourselves."United Airlines and American declined comment to CBS News.  Regulators may be wary of allowing such a merger as it would create a behemoth that would control close to ha...