Update (Sep 30): Alaska Air Group and American Airlines announced that Alaska intends to join American’s Atlantic and Pacific joint businesses, and the carriers said they will seek antitrust immunity to coordinate schedules and share revenue.
Alaska Airlines is in talks to join American Airlines’ transatlantic and transpacific joint businesses, sources reported, potentially expanding coordinated schedules and shared revenue across those markets; alaska airlines atlantic pacific partnership has been the focus of discussions since April 2026.
The talks are described as early-stage and exploratory, not a merger, and would let Alaska coordinate schedules and fares with American on Atlantic and Pacific routes, according to reporting that first surfaced in April 2026.
Industry outlets said the proposals center on revenue-sharing and closer commercial ties rather than an acquisition, and that any move would require regulatory approval and partner consent before becoming binding.
Analysts noted the push reflects broader airline strategy to knit stronger global networks through joint ventures that share revenue and coordinate long-haul capacity; Alaska has been weighing new international partners while reshaping its network after ending other partnerships.
If realized, adding Alaska to American’s Atlantic and Pacific joint businesses would give American more West Coast feed and Alaska wider international reach through shared networks, frequent-flier reciprocity and joint scheduling.
Neither airline issued a full public statement confirming a deal in the published reports, which described the discussions as preliminary and subject to change.
Sources
- Reuters — reported the talks are early-stage and would expand international partnership arrangements to include Alaska.
- One Mile at a Time — detailed the proposed revenue-sharing expansion and noted the companies stopped short of discussing a merger.
- U.S. News — summarized reporting that Alaska could join American’s existing joint ventures with global partners on Atlantic and Pacific routes.
- FlightGlobal — provided additional context about Alaska exploring joint ventures and seeking new international partners.
