CHARLOTTE — An idea is taking flight in the minds of passengers and across the airline industry after the CEO of United Airlines floated the possibility of merging with American Airlines.
Nothing official has been proposed, but a merger would mean the world’s largest carrier serving almost a third of all flights in the United States.
Channel 9’s Erika Jackson looked into what a merger like this would mean for an AA hub like Charlotte.
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is American Airlines’ second-largest hub. American operates 90% of flights at CLT.
Jackson caught up with George Hopkinson and his family, who are bracing for a long flight back to Australia after spending some time in Charlotte.
“It’s a fantastic place to come and visit. We’ve got so much greenery. We went up to the mountains,” Hopkinson said.
They’re flying back to Melbourne on United Airlines.
Just hours before their flight, Bloomberg released a report saying that United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby pitched the idea of merging with American Airlines to the federal government.
“You would have one extremely large, dominant airline if these airlines were to combine. And you know, less competition means, you know, typically higher prices that consumers end up paying,” said Sean Cudahy, a senior aviation reporter with The Points Guy.
Cudahy believes the merger would create issues for customers, but it might not have the same effect for those flying out of CLT.
“Because United doesn’t have a significant presence, that’s probably one of the markets where there isn’t as much crossover between these airlines,” Cudahy said.
Cudahy thinks a merger would have bigger implications in cities that have United and American hubs - like Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York.
Hopkinson says there are fewer airline options in Australia, which makes flights more expensive. He worries a merger would create similar challenges in the states.
“I’m a big fan of competition, and I know the Americans normally are as well. So yeah, I don’t think it would be the best thing for consumers,” Hopkinson said.
The Trump Administration has appeared more open to big business mergers compared to previous administrations. The Points Guy thinks an American-United merger would still be a long shot.
American’s last major merger was with U.S. Airways in 2013. That deal made American the world’s largest airline, a title they still hold today.
The Biden administration challenged two major airline mergers over competition concerns. Federal judges rejected a partnership between American and JetBlue in 2023, and JetBlue’s purchase of Spirit Airlines in 2024.
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
