United Airlines restricts unauthorized AI agents from booking or managing flights

Mixed · 2United Airlines announced on Wednesday 11 November that it is restricting unauthorized third-party AI agents from booking, purchasing or managing travel through its website, app and other digital platforms. 1 2 Left · 1The airline said sharing account credentials with personal third-party AI assistants can expose sensitive information and lead to unintended purchases, account changes or use of MileagePlus miles. 3 Left · 2It also said automated AI actions could violate FAA and Department of Transportation rules, for example at check-in, where passengers must personally confirm their bags hold no prohibited items. 1 3

Mixed · 2United said it will restrict access directly on its platforms and indirectly through travel agencies and aggregators, and is updating its booking, ticketing and distribution policies. 4 3 Mixed · 2Customers may still use AI for general travel research and agents can still show United flights, but travelers must complete transactions themselves unless an agent has United's approval or a direct partnership; existing bookings made through third-party agents will not be canceled. 2 5 Left · 1United said it is not seeing many reservations made through AI agents, though its system can tell whether a booking comes from a traveler, a travel agency or an AI assistant; it plans to update its Digital Trust Center with guidance. 1

Left · 1CEO Scott Kirby said at an event on Tuesday, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, "I don't want to create another middleman." 5 Left · 1Aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt told CBS News the policy suggests United wants to keep control of booking and avoid the cost of AI bot flight searches, and that fares should remain bookable through aggregators such as Kayak, Hopper and Google Flights. 3 Mixed · 2Companies are split on AI agents: Amazon has blocked Meta's agent Muse while Walmart partnered with it, Expedia and Booking work with OpenAI, and Southwest has made its inventory viewable to ChatGPT users. 4 3

Left · 2United suggested it could revisit the policy as agents advance, once it has established protections for travelers; it also noted banks and retailers have taken similar steps. 5 1 Centre · 1JetBlue president Marty St. George said at the Skift Commerce Summit in New York on Wednesday that he understands why airlines may be wary of AI intermediaries, fearing they could one day seek compensation for directing bookings, but that airlines should adapt if customers embrace AI booking tools: "We should be responsible for what customers want." 6 Centre · 1TechCrunch described the move as following a warning from banks, including Bank of America, which last week urged customers not to share passwords with their AI assistants, and said airlines and banks are struggling to tell real customers from AI systems acting on their behalf. 7

Centre · 1United said that as personal AI assistants evolve it will keep evaluating how these tools interact with its services, and its Digital Trust Center update will direct customers to help if an AI agent takes an unintended action. 8 Centre · 1Computerworld reported that United joins Walmart, Target and Amazon in blocking customer bots, and that industry observers see the larger business risks as the lack of industry standards and a growing number of AI bots from major vendors and startups, which could drain IT resources. 9 Centre · 1Analyst Frank Dickson of Dickson Research said blocking "moves" the value of agents rather than destroying it, since United bars only unauthorized agents, and expected access to return through channels airlines control; consultant Noah Kenney said United faces substantial risk and little competitive pressure to accept it. 9

Centre · 1Computerworld also noted that Walmart plans "Agent Profiles" to show agent purchases separately, while Target blocked all but a handful of approved agents in its terms and conditions; Acceligence CEO Justin Greis said blocking would reduce agents' value by preventing them from completing tasks across services. 9