United Airlines said on November 11, 2026, that it was taking steps to prevent unauthorized third-party personal AI agents and assistants from using its services. The measures cover direct access to its digital platforms and indirect access through travel agencies and information aggregators. The airline also said it would revise policies governing reservations, ticketing and distribution.
United said customers who share account credentials with AI assistants risk exposing sensitive information. It warned that an assistant acting on a customer’s behalf could buy products or services, change account details, or use frequent-flyer miles without the customer’s knowledge.
The airline also raised a regulatory concern: automated check-in could fail to meet requirements for a person to confirm that their baggage contains no explosives or other prohibited items. United said it would continue evaluating how personal AI assistants use its services as the technology develops.
Airlines are taking different approaches. According to the report, United was the first U.S. airline to explicitly say it would restrict third-party AI agents, while Southwest Airlines had made flight information available to ChatGPT users, who could then visit its website. An analyst at Atmosphere Research Group said United’s policy suggested it did not want another potentially powerful intermediary or the added cost of large volumes of AI-generated flight searches. JetBlue president Marty St. George said he understood airlines’ caution about AI booking intermediaries and possible fees, but said airlines would need to adapt if customers embraced the tools.