- Senators Lee and Warren oppose a potential United-American Airlines merger, citing competition concerns.
- They argue it would create the world's largest airline controlling half the U.S. market.
- American Airlines denies merger discussions while senators request answers by May 3.
SALT LAKE CITY — A potential merger between two of the world's largest airlines has unified an unlikely pair in Washington.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, on Tuesday sounded the alarm on reports last week that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby met with President Donald Trump earlier this year to discuss the potential of United merging with American Airlines.
The two companies are the world's largest by seat capacity, and the senators fear that combining forces could signal turbulence for consumers.
"A merger between United Airlines and American Airlines would create the largest airline in the world, in an industry already plagued by a lack of competition," Lee and Warren wrote to Kirby and American Airlines CEO Robert Isom in a letter they made public on Tuesday, noting that "historic consolidation" within the industry has only led to higher prices with fewer services.
"We are concerned that a merger between United and American would exacerbate these trends. ... A merger between United and American would combine two of the 'Big Four U.S. airlines into an 'industry behemoth,' controlling nearly half of the U.S. market share of the airline industry and creating the largest airline on the planet by revenue," they added.
American Airlines has downplayed the story since Bloomberg News, Reuters and other major outlets reported on it, stating on Friday that it is "not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines."
"While changes in the broader airline marketplace may be necessary, a combination with United would be negative for competition and for consumers, and therefore inconsistent with our understanding of the administration's philosophy toward the industry and principles of antitrust law," the company continued.
Lee and Warren wrote that they are seeking information on whether the two airlines discussed a merger at any point, and how such a deal would affect flyers. They pointed out that a combined entity would have a fleet more than double the size of any competitor, which could help them "be able to exploit its market power to harm consumers in a number of ways."
Their concerns come as many airlines face rising jet fuel costs, the latest headwind in the industry. Air Canada, for example, cited rising fuel costs as the reason for suspending a few routes, including one connecting Toronto and Salt Lake City.
Lee and Warren wrote that airlines are also "already squeezing flyers through higher fares and fees," while linking to a 2025 CNBC report that found airline tickets were outpacing inflation.
These trends could worsen with decreased competition, while also likely cutting routes with overlap and hurting smaller airlines, the senators wrote.
They asked the CEOs to respond to their questions by May 3, while they dig deeper into the reports.
