Consolidation is no “silver bullet” for what ails the airline industry, but mergers are inevitable and the business would benefit from a smaller number of carriers, the chief executive of American Air Consolidation is no “silver bullet” for what ails the airline industry, but mergers are inevitable and the business would benefit from a smaller number of carriers, the chief executive of American Airlines parent AMR Corp said on Thursday. Speaking at a media event in Los Angeles, Gerard Arpey declined to comment directly on news reports this week that United Airlines parent UAL Corp and US Airways Group are in merger talks.