All signs point to “no” on a hypothetical United–American merger, but speculation is mounting on whether a different airline deal may take its place.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby raised eyebrows when he suggested his company buy American Airlines in a private February meeting with President Donald Trump, who has dismissed the idea since reports on the floated deal surfaced two weeks ago.
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“By floating a massive, controversial merger, Kirby may be positioning for the United-JetBlue acquisition, which would look much more reasonable to regulators than United-American,” Dr. Brandon Parsons, an economics practitioner at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School, told the Washington Examiner.
“This is a behavioral economics technique of anchoring and framing,” he said. “For instance, a $30 hamburger [United-JetBlue] looks cheap next to a $100 steak [United-American]. If the $30 hamburger is presented on its own,
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