United Chased Delta and American. Now Airline M&A Has Stalled

Key Points

• United CEO Scott Kirby pitched a merger to Delta and previously floated a United-American tie-up to the White House, but both would have created the world's largest airline and raised significant antitrust concerns.
• Anticipated post-fuel-crisis M&A activity has largely stalled, with major carriers preferring to focus on their own profitability rather than acquire smaller or distressed airlines.
• Consolidation is seen as most likely among struggling ultra-low-cost carriers, but even that sector has cooled following Allegiant's Sun Country deal and Spirit's collapse.

Summary

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has pursued ambitious mega-mergers, most recently pitching a tie-up with Delta Air Lines that would have combined two of the most profitable U.S. carriers, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Delta conducted due diligence but the talks stalled and both parties moved on. This follows Kirby's earlier proposal of a United-American merger, which American CEO Robert Isom rejected as anticompetitive. Despite expectations that surging fuel prices post-Iran war and favorable regulatory signals from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy would trigger an M&A frenzy, industry consolidation talks have largely died down. Large carriers say they prefer strengthening their own profitability over acquiring smaller players, and Kirby himself dismissed a JetBlue deal as "idiotic." Consolidation appears more likely among distressed ultra-low-cost carriers, though even that sector has cooled after Allegiant's $1.5 billion Sun Country acquisition and Spirit's collapse.