In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, United CEO Scott Kirby says American Airlines engaged with his merger proposal and never told him no — until he learned of the rejection from a press release.

According to the Dallas Morning News interview, Kirby texted American CEO Robert Isom after seeing the airline's public statement and was told Isom would call him, to which Kirby replied, "I read the public statement."

American announced on April 17 that it was "not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines." Kirby's account directly contradicts that framing.

The claim is surprising because Kirby's own explanation sounded different at the time.

According to View from the Wing, Kirby's April 27 message — which he says he personally wrote while staying at Amangiri during an hour his wife spent at the spa — stated that American "declined to engage and instead responded by publicly closing the door."

Now he says conversations were underway and he expected them to continue. American disputes Kirby's account but has not offered particulars, while View from the Wing notes American never denied having earlier conversations, only describing its position at that moment.

Kirby frames the proposal around growth — expanding the combined airline and improving service rather than cutting costs — and argues critics misjudged it.

Yet he acknowledged in April that domestic divestitures would be necessary, shedding some of the combined airline's size, View from the Wing reports.

Beyond Washington, a federal settlement would not bind state attorneys general, who could sue independently as a group of states did during the T-Mobile–Sprint merger.

Foreign regulators in Europe, Japan, Australia and South America would also review the international combination, any of which could delay or block a deal.

According to InsideFlyer, the uncertainty over how talks ended clouds whether negotiations could ever resume.

Kirby has continued pushing merger messaging in other interviews, arguing the deal is stalled only by American's leadership, while American's CEO has reiterated the political and regulatory hurdles at a shareholder meeting.

Kirby also wants a substantial Miami hub and more New York JFK access, which he plans to relaunch next year with JetBlue slots. For now, he has confirmed the American talks are over, and says he is instead open to deepening collaboration with JetBlue.