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

United Airlines announced it is prohibiting third-party personal AI agents from making flight reservations on behalf of travelers, citing security risks and possible violations of federal regulations. The airline said sharing account credentials with AI assistants can expose sensitive information and lead to unintended purchases, account changes, or misuse of MileagePlus miles. United also noted that actions like AI-assisted check-in could violate rules requiring travelers to verify in person that their luggage contains no banned substances. The carrier is restricting access directly on its digital platforms and indirectly through travel agencies and aggregators, and is updating its booking and ticketing policies accordingly. Aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt said the move reflects United's desire to retain control over the booking process and avoid the costs of a surge in AI bot flight searches. Other airlines are taking different approaches; Southwest, for example, has made its flight inventory viewable to ChatGPT users. United fares will still be bookable through aggregators such as Kayak, Hopper, and Google Flights.

(Source：CBS News)