United bans AI agents from booking flights on behalf of travelers

United Airlines has announced it will prohibit AI agents from booking flights for passengers, citing security concerns and potential violations of federal regulations. Many travelers now rely on AI agents, like Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dot, for various tasks, including flight reservations, which require access to personal information such as payment details.

United warns that sharing account credentials with third-party AI assistants could lead to unauthorized purchases or unintended changes to accounts or MileagePlus miles. The airline also states that using AI agents for tasks like checking in for flights could breach federal rules, such as requiring in-person verification of prohibited items in luggage.

Consequently, United is implementing measures to restrict such usage, both directly on its digital platforms and indirectly through travel agencies and aggregators. This policy change demonstrates the company's desire to maintain control over the booking process, according to Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

Harteveldt notes that airlines face competition from various intermediaries, such as Google search, metasearch sites, and online travel agencies. United's move suggests they aim to avoid the additional expense of managing AI bot flight searches. While other airlines, like Southwest, have enabled flight inventories for AI agents like ChatGPT, United will continue to allow bookings through aggregators like Kayak, Hopper, and Google Flights.

However, Harteveldt suggests that these restrictions might not make it any simpler for consumers to find United's fares, as the airline's fares will still be accessible through these third-party platforms.