사회

Rebuffed by American Airlines, United’s C.E.O. Is Wary of Other Deals

worth it. In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Kirby declined to say whether United would want to buy... “Doing a merger takes a lot of calories and a lot of energy, and it’s about the same amount...

NYTIMES 입력 2026.04.29 23:46 0

Rebuffed by American Airlines, United’s C.E.O. Is Wary of Other Deals

War in the

Middle East

U.S.-Iran Talks

Israel-Lebanon Truce

Strait of Hormuz

Enriched Uranium

Timeline of War

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Rebuffed by American Airlines, United’s C.E.O. Is Wary of Other Deals

The chief executive, Scott Kirby, said that buying a smaller airline might not be worth the effort.

Listen

· 5:35 min

Share full article

“Doing a merger takes a lot of calories and a lot of energy,” Scott Kirby, chief executive of United Airlines, said in an interview.

Credit...

Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Niraj Chokshi

April 29, 2026,

10:45 a.m. ET

See more of our coverage in your search results.

Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda.

Add The New York Times on Google

Agrega The New York Times en Google

After putting the idea of an industry-reshaping merger with American Airlines behind him, the chief executive of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, said other deals might not be worth it.

In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Kirby declined to say whether United would want to buy JetBlue Airways, the subject of significant speculation by investors and analysts in recent weeks. Mr. Kirby said that doing so could consume resources without a sufficient payoff.

“Doing a merger takes a lot of calories and a lot of energy, and it’s about the same amount of calories and energy regardless of the size of merger,” he said. He explained that integrating the computer systems, planes, airport operations, labor unions and other elements of another airline could take years.

A deal that “has the potential to be transformative, like American would have been, is probably worth that,” he added. But he said “the hurdle is a whole lot higher for a small airline than it is for a big airline, for me.”

Mr. Kirby had raised the idea of the merger with American, where he worked for years, with federal officials. But American rebuffed his overture after details of that conversation became public.

Some industry experts and analysts have speculated that United could buy JetBlue instead to achieve some of Mr. Kirby’s goals, which include a return to Kennedy International Airport and an expansion of United’s presence at Boston Logan International Airport.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and

log into

your Times account, or

for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?

Want all of The Times?