American Airlines issued a terse rebuttal on Friday, saying it has “no interest” in merging with United Airlines. The comment came after Reuters reported that United chief executive Scott Kirby raised the idea in a February meeting with President Trump and senior administration officials. A combined carrier would dwarf the next‑largest airline, prompting immediate antitrust alarm among regulators and investors.

U.S. air travel is already dominated by four carriers that control more than two‑thirds of passenger traffic, an oligopoly solidified by three mergers between 2008 and 2013. American, headquartered in Fort Worth, warned that a tie‑up would hurt competition and conflict with the administration’s stated antitrust philosophy. The White House press secretary said the president is not weighing the proposal currently.

United declined to comment, leaving investors to wonder whether Kirby’s overture was a genuine push for a megamerger or a tactical move to ease a later purchase of a smaller carrier such as JetBlue. Even with a Trump‑friendly administration, state attorneys general could sue, and regulators would likely impose strict conditions. The denial keeps the industry’s top‑four structure intact for now.