> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecloser.fm/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Episode 1: The Merger That Made the World's Biggest Airline - URL: https://www.thecloser.fm/episode-1-the-merger-that-made-the-worlds-biggest-airline/ - Published: 2023-02-06T05:58:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T13:44:19.000Z - Description: The 2013 merger between American Airlines and US Airways created the world’s largest airline. But it also marked the ascent of one of the American labor movement’s most visible faces. - Author: Bradley Hope - Tags: Podcast, #aimee Episode 1 of *The Closer –* The Merger That Made The World's Biggest Airline *–* is out now! [View transcript](https://www.thecloser.fm/episode-1-transcript/) **If you subscribe to the Brazen+ channel subscription on Apple Podcasts, you'll get access to exclusive bonus episodes and ad-free listening.** And go to [TheCloser.FM](https://www.thecloser.fm/) to sign up for this newsletter. [![Apple Podcasts](https://www.thecloser.fm/assets/img/apple-purple.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-closer/id1668774101?ref=thecloser.fm) [![Spotify](https://www.thecloser.fm/assets/img/spotify.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/7jQPWgY7Yk6J13dN3day4H?ref=thecloser.fm) [![Amazon Music](https://www.thecloser.fm/assets/img/amazonmusic.png)](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/241fe45d-78c5-492d-9d3d-b82481c175e4/the-closer?ref=thecloser.fm) Our first episode dives into the fascinating story of the merger between US Airways and American Airlines. You probably know our guest, Sara Nelson, from her near omnipresence on cable news during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. We talk to her about that cataclysm and get the in-depth story of her experience as the lead negotiator for flight attendants at US Airways in the US Airway-American Airlines merger. There’s a ton of material we couldn’t fit into a single episode – more coming in a bonus episode for Brazen+ subscribers soon ;) – and there’s also a huge amount of great reporting that’s been done on the airline industry over the years. [BE A CLOSER - SIGN UP HERE](https://www.thecloser.fm/#/portal/signup/free) So if you want to sit back, open a few browser tabs and go even deeper, here’s our guide: – [American Airlines, US Airways and the Creation of the World's Largest Airline](https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/american-airlines-us-airways-and-the-creation-of-the-worlds-largest-airline/?ref=thecloser.fm). Ted Reed and Dan Reed wrote *the* book on this deal – [The New Yorker’s profile of Nelson](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/30/flight-attendants-fighting-back?ref=thecloser.fm) from May 2022 and [The Financial Times’ profile of Nelson](https://www.ft.com/content/b79304c5-d517-4103-a185-6bac8ba5f5a7?ref=thecloser.fm) from September 2020 mainly tackle her massive role in the federal government’s Covid-19 relief package. – [Politico’s December 2019](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2019/12/12/afl-cio-politics-union-flight-attendant-sara-nelson-president-trumka-082739?ref=thecloser.fm) profile of Nelson and [The New York Times February 2019](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/business/sara-nelson-flight-attendant-union.html?ref=thecloser.fm) profile of Nelson focus on her tangles with the Trump administration and the 2018-2019 government shutdown specifically. – [The canonical story of how airlines wooed regulators and politicians](https://www.propublica.org/article/airline-consolidation-democratic-lobbying-antitrust?ref=thecloser.fm) to support merger after merger, by ProPublica’s Justin Elliott – [Twelve Years of Turbulence](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Twelve-Years-of-Turbulence/Gary-Kennedy/9781642930382?ref=thecloser.fm), a book by Gary Kenendy with Terry Maxon, charts American Airlines’ path from 9/11 on – A great story [from the Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/10/05/flight-attendant-salary-job-passengers/?ref=thecloser.fm) digging in to just how tough a job it is to be a flight attendant – Extremely [important context from CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/11/how-9/11-forever-changed-air-travel.html?ref=thecloser.fm#:~:text=Global%20passenger%20traffic%20recovered%20but,t%20profitable%20again%20until%202006.) on how 9/11 changed the airline industry. Talking with Nelson really drove home how important 9/11 is to understanding the present state of the airline industry. – Corporate America loves stocks buybacks, but the US airline industry *really* loves stock buybacks: [U.S. Airlines Spent 96% of Free Cash Flow on Buybacks](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-16/u-s-airlines-spent-96-of-free-cash-flow-on-buybacks-chart?ref=thecloser.fm) (Bloomberg) – The Financial Times looks at the recent Southwest fiasco and public opinion data to understand [how the US fell out of love with flying](https://www.ft.com/content/4341f119-09e4-4644-ab6f-fac585040358?ref=thecloser.fm). ![The Closer podcast logo, from Project Brazen and PRX](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3a/b2/3ab24ac3-6659-4e40-b780-779a1acb1fb4/content/images/2023/02/221201_TheCloserPodcastCovers_J-04.png) Subscribe now on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1668774101?ref=thecloser.fm) or wherever you listen. 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