American Airlines Rejects United 2026 Merger Bid as Turnaround Lags
American Airlines is lagging rivals, down 30.5% over five years and 61.8% over ten as Delta and United surged. With fuel shock hitting harder, American’s Q2 2026 fuel expense jumped 83.3% year over year, pushing operating margin to 2.7% and resetting full-year EPS guidance near breakeven. CEO Isom rejected United’s 2026 merger bid on antitrust grounds and cited fleet and premium upgrades to close the gap.