Scott Kirby’s unbridled ambitions are coming into focus as observers consider the possibilities of a major acquisition or United establishing an overseas hub.
With rumours swirling that consolidation of major US airlines could be underway, United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby suggests there could be more than one way to achieve the carrier’s goal of capturing more global air traffic.
Kirby acknowledged in a 22 April CNBC interview that he does not immediately see a clear path to realising his lofty ambitions. After reportedly floating the idea of acquiring competitor American Airlines to officials with the Trump administration – which would create a global behemoth of unrivalled scale – Kirby steadfastly refused to outline how exactly he plans to create “a truly competitive global airline”.
He does, however, describe the problem facing United.
“Today, we have a big trade deficit with international carriers,” he says. “Many of them are effectively state-owned and state-subsidised. They fly 65% of the long-haul seats into the US, and only about 40% of the customers are from those countries. That’s bad for US aviation; that’s bad for US workers.
“How can we solve that and create a great US airline that all citizens can be proud of, that competes on every facet around the globe?” Kirby adds.
Pressed on the reports that he initiated conversations about combining two of the largest US airlines, Kirby avoided directly addressing American-United tie-up speculation during the CNBC interview.
“The aspiration we have is to… be a great, globally competitive airline,” he says. “I’m not saying what is required to make that happen today; I don’t actually have all the answers today.”
Later that morning, JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker floated the idea of United establishing an overseas operational base, similar to Pan Am’s former hub in Frankfurt, to capture more air traffic currently flying with foreign competitors.
“I think it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll open a foreign hub,” Kirby said during the carrier’s first-quarter earnings call. “Our Star Alliance partnerships are great. They enable global reach and breadth and allow our customers to fly to lots of cities around the globe.”
Figuring out how to better compete with “really good airlines in the Middle East and Asia” is not a straightforward problem, Kirby says: “I actually haven’t said what it takes to do it, and I don’t even know the answer.”
AMERICAN-UNITED COMBINATION UNLIKEY
For the past few weeks, speculation has swirled that United could move to acquire another US carrier – interline partner JetBlue Airways on the more conservative end of the spectrum, and heated rival American on the more audacious side.
American and United are locked in a bitter fight over gate allocations at Chicago O’Hare International airport, where escalating summer schedules have triggered a daily flight cap mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. That battle could be viewed as emblematic of the relationship between the two rivals – a competition which United has dominated in the post-Covid-19 era.
Combining American and United would create the world’s largest airline fleet by far, boasting more than 2,000 narrowbody and widebody jets. Any such attempt would almost certainly run afoul of US antitrust laws, as the post-combination carrier would command a massive portion of the domestic market and possess outsized influence over airfare prices.
American has shot down the idea of such a tie-up, maintaining that it has no interest in a deal with United.
“American Airlines is not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines,” Fort Worth-based American said on 17 April. “Our focus will remain on executing on our strategic objectives and positioning American to win for the long term.”
US President Donald Trump weighed in on the matter during a 21 April interview with American broadcast network CNBC, asserting that he does not oppose consolidation in the airline space – but he does not “like” the idea of an American-United tie-up.
“I don’t mind mergers,” he says. “I think I’d love somebody to buy Spirit [Airlines] as an example. You know, Spirit’s in trouble, and I’d love somebody to buy Spirit. Spirit is 14,000 jobs, and maybe the federal government should help that one out.
“With American, it’s doing fine, and United is doing very well,” he adds. “I don’t like having them merge it, just like all these aerospace defence companies.”
Airline analyst Bill Swelbar has suggested that Kirby has purposefully stoked the combination rumours in a Trumpian attempt to control the news cycle.
Despite the price of jet fuel more than doubling since early February, United reported strong first-quarter financial results, with revenue surging year-on-year by 11%, to $14.6 billion.
The Chicago-headquartered carrier made a $699 million first-quarter profit, compared with a $387 million profit during the same three months of 2025.
American will report first-quarter earnings on 23 April.
The post United CEO’s ‘globally competitive’ vision sparks broad speculation first appeared on FlightGlobal.