Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Mike Lee on April 19 warned that a merger between United Airlines and American Airlines would weaken competition, lift fares and fees, and squeeze workers’ wages. In a letter to United Chief Executive Scott Kirby and American Chief Executive Robert Isom, the senators asked whether the two carriers have discussed a deal and demanded details on how any merger could affect American consumers.
“If United and American were to merge, airlines would face less pressure from rivals to keep the cost of flying down, and airlines across the industry could raise ticket prices and fees even higher,” the senators wrote. They said the deal could also hurt smaller airlines’ ability to compete for scarce gate access and reduce the number of employers bidding for airline labor, a shift they said could push wages lower.
The letter landed after Kirby floated the idea of a possible United-American tie-up less than a week before April 20, 2026, and after he raised the prospect with Trump administration officials last week. Warren and Lee set a May 3 deadline for the two executives to say whether they have discussed a deal. United declined to comment on the lawmakers’ letter.
American moved quickly to distance itself from the idea. On Friday, the carrier said it was “not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines” and said such a merger would be “negative for competition and for consumers.” The company’s public rejection leaves the debate centered on a deal that has not been announced, but that lawmakers now want answered in writing before it goes any further.
For now, the sharpest question is not whether the airlines can make the case for a merger. It is whether either side has already been talking about one.
