Which airline would acquire the other in a potential merger between United Airlines and American Airlines?

United Airlines Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby has brought up the idea of a potential combination with American Airlines, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing those familiar with the matter. Kirby reportedly has pitched the idea to senior government officials and held a meeting with President Donald Trump, according to Reuters. Kirby and Trump spoke on February 25, where Kirby argued that a United–American merger would make for a stronger competitor in the international market, appealing to the Trump administration’s wishes to address the nation’s trade deficits around the world. United and American make up a significant bulk

A new Bloomberg report suggests a potential seismic shift in the US airline industry may have at least been discussed behind closed doors. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has reportedly pitched the idea of United acquiring American Airlines to senior members of the Trump administration. While the proposal appears to be in its earliest and most speculative stages, it represents a dramatic escalation from recent consolidation rumors that have largely centered on smaller carriers like JetBlue. The possibility of two of the nation’s three largest airlines combining would mark an unprecedented move in modern aviation. The timing of the

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has pitched regulators on the idea of buying American Airlines. When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy talked about the possibility of airline mergers – and that President Trump likes to see “big deals happen” – everyone assumed this referred to the possible acquisition of JetBlue, by United, American, Southwest or Alaska. But perhaps “big deals” was a clue. One imagines that some of the most extreme competitive concentration, such as in Chicago, could be addressed by spinning off the American Airlines position there – the way that United and US Airways had once proposed