United Airlines blocks personal AI agents from booking and managing flights

United Airlines will block AI agents from managing customers' reservations and flight purchases, citing cybersecurity and privacy risks and potential violations of FAA and DOT rules. The airline said sharing account credentials with third-party AI assistants can expose sensitive information and lead to unintended purchases, account changes or use of MileagePlus miles, and it is applying the restrictions across its own platforms and through aggregators and agencies. Bank of America made a similar warning last week, while Trua CEO Raj Ananthanpillai argued that blocking agents only delays the shift toward verified identity tokens.

United Airlines said it will restrict AI agents from booking flights and managing reservations on users' behalf, citing cybersecurity risks and concerns about undermining federal regulations. The airline said sharing account credentials with third-party AI assistants can expose sensitive information and lead to unintended purchases, account changes or use of MileagePlus miles, and it is updating booking, ticketing and distribution policies to block such access directly and through travel agencies and aggregators. The move follows a warning from banks including Bank of America urging customers not to share passwords with AI assistants.

United will not let personal AI assistants complete flight bookings on its site, citing privacy and regulatory concerns, The Wall Street Journal reports. Agents can still show users United flights but cannot finish the transaction, and CEO Scott Kirby said he does not want to create another middleman. United said it may reconsider as third-party agents advance, while eBay and several major banks have also restricted agent access.