Morning Business Report: United approached Delta about potential airline merger

United Airlines approached Delta Air Lines last year about a potential merger that would have combined two of the most valuable U.S. carriers.

(LILAMAX)- United Airlines approached Delta Air Lines last year about a potential merger that would have combined two of the most valuable U.S. carriers.

According to an exclusive report from The Wall Street Journal, Delta leaders discussed the approach and merits of a possible deal as part of preliminary due diligence. The talks did not progress, and both companies eventually moved on from the proposal.

A merger between United and Delta, two of the world’s largest airlines, would have had major implications for competition and travelers.

Meanwhile, Paramount has agreed to pause its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery until next June at the latest while a judge considers a lawsuit from state attorneys general seeking to block the deal.

The delay could prove expensive. Paramount has agreed to pay Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders $650 million for every quarter the transaction remains unfinished beginning in October. The proposed delay still requires approval from the California judge overseeing the case.

On Wall Street, stocks finished nearly flat Friday as weakness in chip stocks weighed on the market and investors monitored developments in the Middle East. Oil prices fell amid a pause in fighting involving Iran.

New research is also highlighting the economic toll of pedestrian deaths. The Governors Highway Safety Association says 3,024 pedestrians were killed on U.S. roads during the first six months of 2025. A separate analysis from the organization estimates those deaths cost the U.S. economy more than $40 billion.

And Brown-Forman, the company behind Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve, has rejected a $15 billion takeover offer from Sazerac. Brown-Forman said it does not want to sell to the company, whose brands include Southern Comfort.