United Airlines announced the decision in a press release on Wednesday 11 November. The ban covers third-party personal AI agents that the company has not authorised. An AI agent is a program that uses a language model to handle tasks on a user’s behalf. CBS News and Scripps News give Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dots as examples.

United is restricting agents’ access through its own online services as well as through travel agencies and aggregators. It is also updating its booking, ticketing and distribution terms. ITmedia reported that United did not say which agents the restriction covers or when it will take effect.

Agents can still show users United flights but cannot complete the purchase, The Verge reported. Henry Harteveldt, an aviation analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, told CBS News that travellers can still book United flights themselves through aggregators such as Kayak, Hopper and Google Flights.

United cites security and aviation rules

The press release said sensitive information could be exposed if customers give their login details to an agent. Agents’ actions could also lead to unintended purchases, account changes or use of miles from the MileagePlus loyalty programme.

United also claims that automated actions could breach rules set by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). In the company’s example, a person must confirm at check-in that bags contain no banned substances such as explosives.

The Verge, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that United has not yet seen many people try to book flights using agents.

Analyst: customer relationships are also at stake

The Verge and Engadget quote The Wall Street Journal, which reported that chief executive Scott Kirby said at an event on Tuesday: ‘To be honest, I don’t want to create another middleman.’

Harteveldt said United does not want a new, possibly even more powerful middleman alongside search engines, comparison sites and online travel agencies. Flight searches cost airlines money, Harteveldt noted. In Harteveldt’s view, United clearly wants to avoid the cost of a rush of searches by AI bots.

Not all airlines are taking the same approach. CBS reported that Southwest has made its flights visible to ChatGPT users. The aviation site Paddle Your Own Kanoo wrote that Delta reportedly already blocks third-party agents.

ITmedia reported that companies in other sectors have also restricted third-party agents since Meta released Muse in September. Amazon has blocked purchases made by Muse since 20 September. Between 13 and 20 October, JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab, Citigroup and Wells Fargo acted against agents that log in with customers’ own credentials. The banks either blocked the agents or shifted the risk to customers through their agreements.

United says it is updating its Digital Trust Center security site. After the update, the site will provide information on the restrictions and on protecting accounts, as well as guidance on getting help if an agent takes an unintended action. The company added that it will continue to assess how agents operate on its services as they develop.