United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby approached Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian in 2025 to propose a merger. The deal would have combined the two most valuable carriers in the United States.
Delta leadership reviewed the proposal but ultimately declined to move forward. The Wall Street Journal first reported these previously undisclosed talks.
A merger of this magnitude would have created an unprecedented concentration of market share. Federal regulators were widely expected to subject the deal to intense antitrust scrutiny.