United CEO Won’t Push Consolidation Without a ‘Willing Partner’

United Airlines Holdings Inc. won’t participate in industry consolidation anytime soon because the carrier lacks a willing partner for a major deal and some of the smaller transactions that have been floated don’t make economic sense, Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby said.

“The kind of big transaction that we tried was the only one that made economic sense,” Kirby said at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York on Wednesday, referring to his overture a few months ago to combine with American Airlines Group Inc. “The big transaction required a willing partner, which we clearly don’t have.”

Kirby said ...