American Airlines Group's pilot leaders have rejected efforts to join the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), union spokesman for the U.S. carrier's aviators, Dennis Tajer, said on Friday.

Support from the Allied Pilots Association (APA) board fell short of the two-thirds needed to start merger talks with fast-growing ALPA, the world's largest pilots' union, which recently joined forces with aviators at Air Canada.

Pilots at North American carriers are making workplace gains in new contracts as travel rebounds from the pandemic.

Allied, which reached a tentative deal last month that boosts pay by 21% in 2023, agreed in November to create a merger committee to look at joining forces with fast-growing ALPA.

The group AA Pilots for ALPA, which supported a merger, said in a statement they were disappointed by the APA board of directors' decision which was made on Thursday afternoon.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Matthew Lewis)