United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby pitched the potential for merging with American Airlines in a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in late February, two sources said, raising an industry-reshaping deal likely to be met with significant regulatory scrutiny.
A combination of two of the largest U.S. network carriers would mark by far the most consequential consolidation since the last wave of big airline mergers ?ended more than a decade ago and further tighten a U.S. domestic market already dominated by four players of roughly equal size.
Including international flights, United and American were ?already the ?world's two largest airlines by available capacity in 2025, according to OAG data, and their combined size would far eclipse rival ?Delta Air Lines, which ranked third.
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