United Airlines said Wednesday it will restrict access for third-party personal AI agents across its digital platforms and through online travel agencies and aggregators, becoming the first U.S. carrier to explicitly block such tools, according to Skift.
The airline said sharing account credentials with outside AI assistants can expose sensitive information and lead to unintended purchases, account changes or unauthorized use of MileagePlus miles. United also warned that automated check-in by AI agents could violate Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation rules that require a person to confirm their bags contain no banned substances such as explosives, Skift reported.
Restrictions apply both directly on United's own channels and indirectly via travel agencies and aggregators, the carrier said. United will update its Digital Trust Center to explain the policy and said it would evaluate the approach as personal AI assistants evolve.
Consumer AI tools are expanding into travel booking at the same time. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has called travel a "top use case" for the company's Muse assistant. OpenAI acquired AI travel agent Odessia on Tuesday. Southwest Airlines launched a ChatGPT plug-in for AI flight search earlier this year.
Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian said he is "cautious" about AI agents in booking. United chief executive Scott Kirby told an audience in Chicago, according to The Wall Street Journal, "I don't want to create another middleman."
Companies across industries are taking divergent approaches to AI agents. Amazon has blocked Meta's Muse from its platform, while Walmart has partnered with it. Online travel firms Expedia and Booking Holdings are working with OpenAI, CNA reported.