Kevin Carter/Getty Images Industry-altering mergers have been a running trend of the second Trump administration, highlighted by Paramount Skydance's proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The airlines are seemingly dipping their toes into the gold coin-filled pool. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby pitched a merger with American Airlines to President Donald Trump in February. The merged United-American would be the world's largest airline by a massive margin, twice the size of the second-place carrier. Kirby proposed the idea at the White House after a meeting about a potential multibillion-dollar renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport, according to Reuters. The outspoken executive argued that the merger would create a U.S. carrier competitive in the international market against foreign airlines. Kirby hasn't been quiet about how Americans aren't flying with U.S. carriers. He mentioned at a business forum last year that two-thirds of long-haul seats in and out of the country are operated by foreign airlines. However, 60% of passengers buying those tickets are American. Trustbusting is as good as dead Heather Diehl/Getty Images United-American would be the most significant challenger to federal antitrust laws since Ma Bell reigned over the American telephone. If this aviation behemoth were formed tomorrow, the airlines would have 2,066 planes in service. Delta would be second on the global list with 992 aircraft. The last time any airline had more planes than United-American was when Aeroflot had a state monopoly on domestic flights within the Soviet Union. The Moscow-based flag carrier shattered into hundreds of airlines when the communist superpower dissolved in 1991. While United-American wouldn't hold a state monopoly, it would have far less competition which always leads to higher ticket prices for passengers. Domestically, experts estimate that United-American would have majority control of capacity at nearly 160 airports. Trump would be happy to preside over a merger creating the world's largest airline. According to Bloomberg, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week, "President Trump, he loves to see big deals happen. Is there room for some mergers in the aviation industry? Yeah, I think there is." If you need any evidence, just remember how giddy he was signing off on Boeing's record deal with Qatar. Laissez-faire wouldn't be the best term to describe the White House's stance on corporate consolidation because they seemingly endorse it. The only barrier to a United-American merger would be a coalition of states suing the airlines, in a move similar to the one being used to derail Nexstar's consolidation of local TV stations. Under the Biden administration, the Department of Justice led these efforts. In January 2024, a federal judge blocked JetBlue's $3.8 billion merger with Spirit Airlines. One last piece of consumer-focused governance before the flood gates opened.