United Airlines Bans AI Agents From Booking Your Flights Ahead of the Holiday Rush

United Airlines is shutting the door on artificial intelligence agents that book travel on a customer's behalf, a move that takes effect as the busiest flying season of the year approaches, CBS News reported.

The carrier said it is restricting access by AI agents on its own website and app and, indirectly, through travel agencies and booking sites, and is updating its booking and ticketing policies to match. The rule targets what United called "unauthorized, third-party personal AI agents or assistants," according to Scripps News.

United revised its contract of carriage, the legal fine print every passenger agrees to, on Nov. 11, according to the travel blog View from the Wing. The new language bars travelers from using AI agents to make, change or service tickets or to buy other United products, and it applies even when a person approves each step the agent takes. Another provision allows United to cancel reservations made that way.

That is a contractual ban rather than a technical one, View from the Wing's Gary Leff noted, and no outlet has described a technical block United is using to detect agents. InsideFlyer reported that United says it can identify where its bookings come from, although a reservation sold through a site like Expedia may not show whether an AI tool was involved.

United said customers who hand their login credentials to an AI agent can expose sensitive information and open the door to unintended purchases, account changes or the use of their MileagePlus miles, CBS News reported. The airline also said an agent handling tasks such as check-in could run afoul of federal rules that require travelers themselves to confirm their bags contain no prohibited items. Engadget reported United pointed to Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

Leff argued that the federal hazardous-materials rule does not require tickets to be booked by hand. And United's chief executive, Scott Kirby, was candid about a business motive at an event this week, saying, as Engadget reported from a Wall Street Journal account, "To be honest, I don't want to create another middleman".

Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research told CBS that United wants to avoid adding another intermediary between itself and its customers, along with the cost of fielding automated fare searches.

For most families, little will change. AI tools can still show United fares, but the customer must complete the purchase, InsideFlyer reported. United fares will remain on familiar search sites such as Kayak, Hopper and Google Flights, Harteveldt told CBS, adding that consumers should not find it harder to find good fares. United said its online Digital Trust Center will explain the new restrictions and how customers can protect their accounts.

United is not alone. The airline said leaders in banking and retail have taken similar steps, and Engadget reported that JPMorgan Chase and Amazon also block AI agents.

The timing matters. American Airlines alone expects to fly more than 8 million customers on about 85,000 flights between Nov. 19 and Dec. 1, with the peak on Sunday, Nov. 29, according to the carrier's holiday forecast.

There is a sensible core to United's move. Handing your airline password to a piece of software you do not control is a risk, and travelers who have spent years building up miles have every reason to guard them. Common sense says the person whose name is on the ticket should be the one who confirms the purchase and swears there is nothing dangerous in the suitcase.

But Kirby's own words make clear this is also a fight over who owns the customer. Airlines have worked hard to bring customers to their own websites and apps, and they have little reason to be eager to hand that relationship to a new set of tech giants. Travelers should watch whether other carriers follow United's lead, and whether the airline offers approved, secure ways for these tools to work, rather than simply shutting them out.

My advice for the holidays: use whatever tools help you compare fares, then book directly, keep your password to yourself and double-check your itinerary before you head to the airport.