United Moving To Prohibit Unauthorized, Third-Party Personal AI Agents

United Air Lines announced it is taking steps to restrict access — directly within its digital platforms and indirectly via travel agencies and aggregators — to prohibit use by unauthorized, third-party personal AI agents or assistants. This initiative, said the announcement, includes updates to the airline’s booking, ticketing and distribution policies.

In its announcement, the carrier explained that “protecting our customers’ data and accounts is a priority for United.” That’s why, said the announcement, the company designed its United app “to securely empower customers to manage their own travel experience — everything from booking a trip and choosing seats to rescheduling a flight when the weather is bad and so much more.”

On the other hand, said the announcement, sharing account credentials with personal, third-party, AI assistants can expose sensitive information, and actions taken by these tools may result in unintended purchases, account changes or use of MileagePlus miles. Plus, these automated AI actions have the potential to violate FAA and DOT regulations. As an example, flight check-in requires human acknowledgment that bags do not contain banned substances like explosives.