United Airlines has instituted a policy preventing personal artificial intelligence agents from accessing its systems to complete flight bookings, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. The decision highlights emerging friction between merchants and automated agentic commerce platforms.
While AI agents will still be permitted to search and display United flight options and pricing, the carrier is blocking them from completing financial transactions on its website. United cited concerns that autonomous bots could expose sensitive customer data or initiate unintended purchases, as documented in the Journal’s coverage.
Furthermore, the airline noted that automated booking actions risk violating Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation regulations governing mandatory customer disclosures. For example, an AI agent cannot legally attest during check-in that a passenger’s luggage contains no hazardous materials or explosives.
Beyond compliance and security risks, United’s executive leadership expressed strong reluctance to permit AI intermediaries to position themselves between the carrier and its customers. Speaking at an industry event in Chicago, United Chief Executive Scott Kirby emphasized a cautious approach to AI-driven transactions. “To be honest, I don’t want to create another middleman,” Kirby said, referencing historical battles between airlines and online travel agencies over ticketing control, customer relationship ownership, and fee structures.
United stated that its back-end technology can distinguish whether bookings originate from individual consumers, traditional travel agencies, or AI agents, though current booking volume from automated assistants remains minimal.
The policy places United alongside major digital merchants like Amazon in restricting purchasing bots, even as FinTech and technology companies invest heavily in automated transactional capabilities. OpenAI recently acquired travel booking startup Odessia, while Meta Platforms has identified travel planning as a primary use-case for its Muse assistant.
Peer airlines have adopted contrasting strategies. Delta Air Lines permits authenticated AI assistants to execute bookings under specific safeguards for sensitive itineraries, whereas Southwest Airlines launched a ChatGPT plugin to test conversational flight search. However, current transactional volume across the industry remains low; Uber Technologies recently reported that AI agents accounted for just 500 food orders and four ride bookings out of 320 million trips during a peak week.