American CEO says two largest airlines combining would be ‘anti-competitive’

Asked about industry speculation about M&A, American’s CEO Robert Isom said: “The idea of the two largest airlines in the world getting together is something that we’ve viewed as being anti-competitive. Obviously everybody that has weighed in suggests the same thing. Bad for customers, bad for the industry, and ultimately that would be bad for American Airlines (AAL). In regard to consolidation in the industry, we are focused on American Airlines. We are focused on delivering on our core initiatives. Part of that is building out our network. We already have the most comprehensive network in North America that allows us to really pursue opportunities organically internationally, and then also with our partners. Some of which, you know, are part of Oneworld, others that are part of Oneworld joint businesses. All those are accretive to American Airlines. We really look to continue focusing on all those partnerships, whether those be domestic or international. Now, of course, if there are opportunities from a consolidation perspective or if there are assets that become available in the marketplace, American has a long history of being aggressive. We have a lot of experience. Whether it is the potential for M&A or the work that we have done to pioneer partnerships, we are going to be on the forefront of that.”