A United Airlines plane takes a taxi at Los Angeles International Airport on April 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
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Rio de Janeiro — united airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he doesn’t expect more airline consolidation in the U.S. and has no interest in further airline consolidation. american airlines I rejected the idea of this combination earlier this year.
“United is not going to do a deal just for the sake of a deal,” Kirby told reporters on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association’s annual meeting on Sunday.
When asked about the wave of consolidation, loyalist This year is the land of the sun, and alaska airlines Kirby said a partnership with Hawaiian Airlines in 2024 is unlikely, calling it “nothing.”
“It’s much harder,” he said. “I’m…one of the key architects of integration in the United States. I’ve been through a lot of these deals. It’s difficult, and you shouldn’t do deals that don’t make economic sense.”
Kirby has repeatedly dismissed the idea of buying out a new partner; jet blue airlines.
But earlier this year, Kirby discussed a possible merger with American Airlines, where he previously worked, and brought the idea to the Trump administration, CNBC previously reported.
Mr. Kirby later said in a statement that he wanted the combined airline to compete with major foreign rivals, but some analysts said the partnership would have insurmountable regulatory hurdles.
Mr Kirby told reporters at the IATA conference that the merger “needs everyone’s support”. “We’re going to need unions, and we’re going to need customers, shareholders, regulators and management.”
But regarding American Airlines’ management, he said, “We obviously don’t have that, so we can’t do it without them.”
delta airlines President Peter Carter similarly told CNBC on Saturday that he does not see mergers or acquisitions in Delta’s future. He said the airline’s long-standing strategy has been partnerships and joint ventures in countries such as South Korea, Mexico and Europe.
The U.S. domestic air travel market is so mature that international travel is the future, Carter said. He added that he wants to compete with United Airlines, the second most profitable airline in the United States, in the lucrative Pacific Rim market.
