American Airlines CEO says merger with United would be 'bad for customers'

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom rejected the idea of a United Airlines merger, telling investors on Thursday's first-quarter earnings call that it would be bad for all parties.

"The idea of the two largest airlines in the world getting together, that is something that we've viewed as being anti-competitive and obviously everybody that has weighed in suggests the same thing," Isom said.

"Bad for customers, bad for the industry and ultimately, that would be bad for American Airlines."

The company also issued a statement last week saying it is "not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines."

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United CEO Scott Kirby floated the idea to the Trump administration in February, reportedly lobbying the administration for its blessing on a potential tie-up, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump has since publicly objected to the idea. "I don't like having them merge," he said in a Tuesday appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box."

Kirby, too, downplayed the talks during United's first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. "We've seen a lot of press coverage regarding consolidation rumors. We've not ​commented specifically on those reports and aren't going to start today," he said.

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He also noted that his comments were "in the past" and only being viewed differently because of recent press reports.

The United chief did, however, point to a "global trade deficit" in international aviation during the call, a key driving factor in why he originally pitched the merger to the Trump administration, according to Reuters.

While United and American dominate the domestic market with 37% of available seat miles, its international footprint is far smaller, with under 10% of the global share.

United is seeking to aggressively expand its international offerings, announcing it'll be adding nonstop flights out of its Newark hub to Split, Croatia; Glasgow, Scotland; Bari, Italy; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain, by summer 2026.

American is enacting similar strategies, telling investors on Thursday's call that its forthcoming international route to Caracas will make it the first American carrier to fly to Venezuela in seven years.

While Isom shut down a United marriage, telling CNBC it was a "non-starter," he didn't rule out the mergers and acquisitions route entirely.

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"Of course, if there are opportunities from a consolidation perspective or if there's assets that become available in the marketplace, American has a long history of being aggressive, we've got a lot of experience," Isom said.

"Whether it is the potential for M&A or the work that we've done to pioneer partnerships, we're gonna be on the forefront of that," he added.