United Airlines bans AI agents from booking flights on behalf of travelers

United Airlines announced on Wednesday that it has prohibited artificial intelligence agents from making flight reservations for passengers, citing security concerns and the potential violation of federal regulations. Many customers are now utilizing AI agents like Meta's Muse and OpenAI's dots for various tasks, including research, deal tracking, and purchases.

To book an airline reservation, an AI agent needs access to a customer's personal data, including payment details. United Airlines is worried that sharing account credentials with third-party AI assistants could lead to the exposure of sensitive information and unintended actions such as purchases, account modifications, or misuse of MileagePlus miles.

Additionally, the airline pointed out that using an AI agent for activities like flight check-in could breach federal rules, including those requiring in-person verification of luggage for prohibited items.

As a result, United Airlines is implementing stricter measures to restrict access to its digital platforms and indirectly through travel agencies and aggregators, preventing unauthorized third-party personal AI agents or assistants from booking flights. This policy shift indicates the company's desire to maintain control over the customer booking process, according to Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

Harteveldt explained that United Airlines does not want to add another intermediary, potentially more powerful than existing ones like Google search, price-comparison metasearch sites, and online travel agencies. The airline is concerned about the additional expense associated with the growing number of AI bot flight searches.

Notably, other airlines have adopted different approaches to the rise of AI agents. For instance, Southwest has made its flight inventory accessible to ChatGPT users, enabling them to access the airline's website through the AI app. However, United Airlines will still allow its fares to be booked through flight aggregators like Kayak, Hopper, and Google Flights. While United has blocked AI bots, it will not simplify the process of finding fares, as stated by Harteveldt.