United Airlines Blocks Unauthorized AI Agents From Booking Flights and Managing Accounts

United Airlines has announced new restrictions aimed at preventing unauthorized artificial intelligence agents from booking flights, checking in passengers or making changes to customer accounts, as carriers begin drawing clearer boundaries around automated tools that interact with their systems.

The US airline disclosed the policy on November 11, saying the measures respond to concerns over passenger privacy, unwanted purchases and compliance with federal aviation rules. The restrictions cover AI agents that access United's website and mobile app directly, as well as those operating through travel agencies and third-party booking platforms.

According to the airline, AI assistants that book flights or manage travel arrangements typically need access to sensitive customer information, including account credentials and payment details. United warned that such tools could initiate purchases, alter reservations or draw on MileagePlus loyalty miles without the customer's intended authorization, and said it is tightening controls to protect accounts and reduce the risk of unwanted transactions.

The carrier also flagged regulatory questions around automated check-in. Under US aviation security requirements, passengers must personally confirm that their checked baggage does not contain prohibited materials, including explosives. United said an AI agent completing these steps automatically could bypass the human acknowledgment the rules require, and it pointed to obligations enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation as a further reason for limiting automated actions.

To enforce the policy, United said it is updating its booking, ticketing and distribution policies so that unauthorized AI agents cannot interact with its services. The move reflects a broader debate across the travel industry over how far autonomous software should be allowed to act on a customer's behalf, and how airlines can verify that such actions are genuinely authorized.