Overview
- United updated its Contract of Carriage on Wednesday to prohibit unauthorized third‑party AI agents from making, changing, or servicing reservations while still permitting agents to search and display fares.
- The airline cited risks that agents could expose account credentials, make unintended purchases, alter MileagePlus balances, or fail to satisfy federal check‑in requirements tied to FAA and DOT rules.
- The new rule reaches bookings made directly on United’s app and site and is written to extend to travel agencies and aggregators, though United has not disclosed specific technical blocks for well‑designed agents.
- Other carriers are taking mixed approaches: Delta and American allow some authenticated agent transactions under safeguards and Southwest offers a ChatGPT integration, while overall agent‑driven transactions remain tiny by industry measures.
- Industry observers say United’s move could steer merchant policies and force AI platforms toward formal partnerships for transactional access, shaping how agents might be monetized as adoption grows.