United Airlines Holdings Inc is moving to block third-party artificial intelligence (AI) agents from booking flights and accessing customer accounts ahead of the holiday travel season, as the growing use of AI in the airline industry raises concerns about privacy.
The carrier said on Nov 11 it is tightening its booking, ticketing and distribution policies to prevent unauthorised personal AI assistants from operating on its digital platforms, including indirectly through travel agencies and aggregators.
The move comes as travellers increasingly turn to AI tools to plan trips, compare fares and make reservations. About 33% of adults have used generative AI to research upcoming travel, according to booking platform Hopper, which expects more travellers to use the technology this holiday season.
Hopper found that domestic airfares in the US for Thanksgiving and Christmas are up 31% and 23%, respectively, from a year earlier.
The technology has fuelled concerns that airlines could use AI to raise ticket prices based on what individual customers are willing to pay. The Federal Trade Commission recently ordered United, Delta Air Lines Inc and JetBlue Airways Corp to provide information about their use of personal data in pricing.
Delta faced a backlash last year over its plans to expand AI-assisted pricing, though the airline has denied using the technology to set individualised fares based on personal information.
United warned that sharing login credentials with AI assistants could expose sensitive information or lead to unintended purchases, reservation changes or redemption of MileagePlus miles. The airline also said automated check-in could violate federal safety regulations requiring passengers to acknowledge restrictions on hazardous materials in luggage.
Airlines have taken different approaches to the emerging technology. American Airlines Group Inc prohibits unauthorised third-party AI tools from booking flights or managing loyalty accounts without written permission.
Southwest Airlines Co introduced a ChatGPT integration in October, allowing travellers to search for flights through the AI platform.
Delta has developed its own AI-powered assistant, Delta Concierge, within its mobile app. – Bloomberg
