United Airlines has said it will not allow AI agents to book flights on behalf of customers, taking steps to restrict their access.
As AI agents gain in popularity, people are using them for all kinds of tasks, such as managing finances, shopping, making appointments, and booking travel plans. In a post on the company’s site, United acknowledged the excitement surrounding the technology but highlighted the risks involved.
Third-party AI agents have the ability to act on your behalf, and delegating authority to them to perform tasks, including accessing your MileagePlus account, booking trips, or buying add-ons and upgrades is a lot of control. Granting that level access has the potential to expose personal information or result in bookings, account changes, or use of MileagePlus miles without your approval.
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.
United has said it will restrict access to such agents over security and financial concerns.
As a result, United is taking steps to restrict access – directly within our digital platforms and indirectly via travel agencies and aggregators – prohibiting use by unauthorized third-party AI agents or assistants. While we see the significant possibilities they may have, we want to establish standardized, secure technology integrations with privacy, security, authorization and accountability protections in place.
United’s stance is hardly unique. Banks have recently begun to restrict access to third-party agents over similar concerns.
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