United Airlines bans AI agents from booking flights

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

United Airlines said on Wednesday that it is banning artificial intelligence agents from making flight reservations on behalf of travelers, citing security risks and the possibility that such actions could violate federal rules.

Many consumers are turning to AI agents such as Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s dots to complete tasks ranging from researching products and tracking down deals to making purchases.

To make an airline booking, an AI agent requires access to a customer’s personal information, including credentials like payment information. United has a problem with that, saying that “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 carrier also said that using an AI agent to, for example, check in for a flight could violate federal regulations, including rules requiring travelers to verify in person that their luggage does not contain banned substances.

“As a result, United is taking steps to restrict access — directly within our digital platforms and indirectly via travel agencies and aggregators — to prohibit use by unauthorized, third-party personal AI agents or assistants,” said the airline, which is updating its booking and ticketing policies to reflect the new rule.

United’s new policy suggests the company wants to retain control over the customer booking process, said Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

“United is saying they don’t want to add yet another, and potentially even more powerful, intermediary than they already face in terms of Google search, price-comparison metasearch sites and online travel agencies,” he told CBS News. “Flight searches cost airlines money, and undoubtedly United wants to avoid the expense associated with the surge of AI bot flight searches.”

Other airlines are taking a different tack to the emergence of AI agents. For example, Southwest has made its flight inventory viewable to ChatGPT users, who can access the airline’s website through the AI app.

United fares will continue to be bookable through flight aggregators such as Kayak, Hopper and Google Flights, Harteveldt said, adding that “consumers shouldn’t find it any more difficult to find good fares on the airline.”

“But by blocking the AI bots, United won’t make it any easier to find its fares, either,” he said.

United Airlines has officially banned unauthorized third-party AI agents from booking, changing, or managing flights on behalf of travelers. Announced on November 11, 2026, the policy makes United the first major U.S. airline to publicly restrict automated shopping tools like Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dots. [1, 2, 3]

Key Policy Details

Contract of Carriage Updates. According to United’s Digital Trust Center, the airline revised its rules to prohibit automated assistants from purchasing tickets, selecting seats, buying upgrades, or modifying MileagePlus accounts, even when supervised by a passenger. [1, 2, 3]
Penalties and Enforcement. United now holds the right to cancel reservations made or altered by unauthorized bots without notice, invalidate tickets, and impose restrictions on future travel. Bookings completed before November 11 will still be honored. [1]
What Remains Allowed. AI assistants can still search for and display United’s flight schedules and fares, and travelers can continue booking through standard flight aggregators like Google Flights, Kayak, and Hopper. [1, 2]
Third-Party Restrictions. Travel agencies and booking platforms must obtain express written consent from United before using AI agents to service its flights, or risk losing their authorization to issue United tickets. [1]

United’s Stated Reasons

Data Security and Unintended Charges. United noted that giving AI tools access to login and payment credentials risks exposing sensitive customer data and could lead to accidental purchases or unauthorized use of MileagePlus miles.
Federal Aviation Compliance. Automated actions like bot-driven check-ins could violate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) rules requiring passengers to personally review disclosures and verify that luggage contains no hazardous or banned substances.
Commercial Control. CEO Scott Kirby and industry analysts at CBS News pointed out that the airline wants to avoid introducing powerful new middlemen into its booking funnel and curb the server costs of automated bot searches. [1, 2, 3]

How Other Airlines Compare

Delta Air Lines. Permits authenticated AI assistants to complete flight reservations, applying extra security safeguards for sensitive bookings such as trips involving unaccompanied minors.
American Airlines. Allows select AI tools to facilitate ticket purchases through approved partners while continuing to monitor automated traffic across its systems.
Southwest Airlines. Integrates its flight inventory directly with ChatGPT, letting travelers browse flight options in the chat interface before completing their purchase on Southwest’s booking platform. [1, 2, 3]