United won’t let your AI agent book your flight

Why it matters

United has decided that personal AI assistants will not be permitted to complete ticket purchases on its behalf, citing privacy risks, the possibility of unintended purchases, and federal disclosure requirements — including the need for travelers to attest that their bags contain no explosives. The Wall Street Journal reports that the airline has seen little customer demand for agent-based booking so far, consistent with what Doordash has observed. Assistants can still display United flights, but the transaction itself must be completed by the customer. CEO Scott Kirby framed the move as avoiding the creation of another middleman. The decision could constrain the usefulness of newer assistants such as Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots. United is part of a broader pattern: eBay has blocked agents from browsing its site, and several major banks have imposed similar restrictions. The airline left the door open to revisiting the policy, saying it wants established protections for travelers before allowing agents to interact directly with accounts or bookings.