{"id":222039,"date":"2026-04-28T14:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=222039"},"modified":"2026-04-29T14:27:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:27:36","slug":"american-airlines-fusion-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/american-airlines-fusion-rate","title":{"rendered":"United Airlines CEO discusses the \"happy merger\" rejected by American Airlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

American Airlines<\/a> slammed the door in the face of United Airlines over an idea for a merger between the two carriers, an idea that the CEO of United Airlines<\/a>Scott Kirby, seemed to be caressing. Hinted at for several months, the conversation about a potential merger gathered pace this April. Ultimately, however, American Airlines put a brutal stop to it.<\/p>\r\n

In a statement, the American air giant indicated that it is \"neither engaged nor interested in discussions concerning a merger with United Airlines. While changes in the broader airline market may be necessary, a combination with United would be detrimental to competition and consumers, and therefore incompatible with our understanding of the Administration's [Trump] philosophy towards the industry and the principles of antitrust law. Our priority will remain the execution of our strategic objectives and positioning American to win in the long term.\"<\/p>\r\n

And, in passing, to flatter the current US government: \"We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Administration as it takes steps to strengthen the aviation industry as a whole.\"<\/p>\r\n

Scott Kirby has therefore taken up his pen to justify his thwarted merger idea with American Airlines. A rather long text (nevertheless adapted in French translation) which depicts a future \"United American Airlines\" through the prism of a happy merger with a fairy-tale-like feel...<\/p>\r\n

Over the past two weeks, there's been a lot of chatter about a potential merger between United Airlines and American Airlines. To be direct, here's what happened: I approached American to explore a combination.of our two companies<\/em>Indeed, I thought we could achieve something incredible together for the customers. I always knew the only way for a merger to succeed (and be approved) was for it to be great for the customers and with a willing partner who shared my ambitious and bold vision.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

I was convinced that this combination, which would have involved adding rather than subtracting, by creating a truly exceptional airline that customers would love, could have gained regulatory approval. I had hoped to present this vision to American, but they refused to engage in discussion and instead slammed the door in my face. And without a willing partner, a project of this magnitude simply cannot be done.<\/p>\r\n

In the past, airline mergers generally concerned two struggling companies coming together to reduce costs, flights, and staff. My ambitions were entirely different. My bold idea was based on growth, to usher in a brand-new era of leadership for American aviation [\u2026] By combining our airlines and using this scale to revolutionise the customer experience, we would have created a prosperous new American airline, the best in the world for customers.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0Even though public comments from American clearly show that such a merger is excluded in the short term, I think it's worth describing in more detail what the outcome might have looked like.<\/p>\r\n

The combination of United and American could have: 1) amplified and scaled a winning, customer-centric approach, 2) unlocked significant new opportunities for customers, employees and the communities served by both airlines, and 3) created a new, great American airline with the scale needed to compete and win on a global scale.<\/p>\r\n

Here are some of the benefits such a combination could have produced:<\/p>\r\n