United Airlines Bars Third-Party AI Agents From Booking Flights and Managing Accounts

In a statement, the airline said it was taking steps to "prohibit use by unauthorized, third-party personal AI agents or assistants", both directly on its digital platforms and indirectly through intermediaries. Agents will still be able to show users United flights, but they will not be able to complete a purchase for a traveller, according to The Verge.

The decision shuts off one of the uses most often promised for consumer AI agents. Assistants such as Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots are marketed on their ability to carry out errands such as booking travel, and The Information reported that the ban covers agents including Muse and Instinct. Bloomberg reported that United is acting ahead of the holiday travel season, when booking volumes rise.

Security and Safety Rules

United gave two reasons. The first is account security. "Sharing account credentials with personal, third-party, AI assistants can expose sensitive information, and actions taken by these tools may result in unintended purchases, account changes, or use of MileagePlus miles," the airline said.

The second is regulation. United said that letting software complete bookings and check-ins could conflict with Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration rules, pointing to the requirement that a person, not a program, acknowledge at check-in that their bags do not contain explosives or other banned substances.

There is also a commercial motive. Chief executive Scott Kirby has been open about his reluctance to hand the customer relationship to AI intermediaries. "To be honest, I don't want to create another middleman," Kirby said at an event on Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reported that United has so far seen few customers try to book through agents.

A Split Among Big Consumer Brands

United is the latest large US company to wall off its systems from autonomous assistants. Engadget noted that JPMorgan Chase and Amazon block agents from using their services, and The Verge reported that eBay appeared to stop agents from browsing its site. Last week Bank of America urged customers not to share their passwords with AI assistants, TechCrunch reported. Airlines and banks are struggling to tell real customers apart from AI systems that log in with the customer's own credentials, which creates exposure if those credentials leak.

Not every airline has taken the same line. Southwest built a plugin that lets users book flights through ChatGPT, according to Engadget.

Demand for agent-led shopping is still small. Engadget pointed to figures Uber gave on its third-quarter earnings call: of 320 million trips and deliveries during the week of Halloween, AI agents accounted for 500 Uber Eats orders and four rides.

United did not rule out reversing course. "As third-party AI agents advance, we see the opportunities they present," the airline said. "However, at the same time, allowing them to interact directly with a United account or booking could involve sensitive actions, and we want to make sure we have established protections for travelers first."