United Airlines Blocks Third-Party AI Agents from Booking Flights
United Airlines has barred personal AI assistants from booking tickets on its platform, citing privacy risks, unintended purchases, and the inability of agents to satisfy federal safety attestations such as baggage declarations. Although actual agent usage remains minimal, the move signals enterprises are erecting defensive guardrails around autonomous agent permissions, echoing similar restrictions from banks and e-commerce platforms.
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United says it won’t let personal AI assistants book tickets on the airline, citing both privacy and regulatory concerns.
The company says it hasn’t yet seen many people try to use AI agents to book their flights, The Wall Street Journal reports, in line with observations from other businesses like Doordash. But United is concerned that agents could expose customers’ information or make purchases they didn’t intend, and potentially skirt federal rules about the kind of information airlines need to share with customers — like having them attest that their bags don’t have explosives.
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While agents can still show users United flights, they won’t be able to actually complete the transaction on their behalf. The decision, and others like it, could limit the potential usefulness of newer personal AI assistants like Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dots. “To be honest, I don’t want to create another middleman,” United CEO Scott Kirby said at an event on Tuesday, according to the Journal.
Across sectors, businesses are grappling with whether to let AI agents transact on their sites, and United is not alone in blocking access for unauthorized agents. eBay appeared to block agents from browsing the site, and several major banks have also placed restrictions on them. United suggests it could reconsider its decision based on future advancements. “As third-party AI agents advance, we see the opportunities they present. 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.”