AINewsTechUnited won’t let your AI agent book your flightAI agents can’t attest that you don’t have explosives in your bags.AI agents can’t attest that you don’t have explosives in your bags.by Lauren FeinerNov 11, 2026, 9:54 PM UTCShareGiftIf you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.Photo by Daniel Karmann/picture alliance via Getty ImagesLauren Feiner is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform.United says it won’t let personal AI assistants book tickets on the airline, citing both privacy and regulatory concerns.The company says it hasn’t yet seen many people try to use AI agents to book their flights, The Wall Street Journal reports, in line with observations from other businesses like Doordash. But United is concerned that agents could expose customers’ information or make purchases they didn’t intend, and potentially skirt federal rules about the kind of information airlines need to share with customers — like having them attest that their bags don’t have explosives.RelatedAI agents are causing massive headaches for banks.eBay appears to have shut the door on third-party AI agentsWhile agents can still show users United flights, they won’t be able to actually complete the transaction on their behalf.
The decision, and others like it, could limit the potential usefulness of newer personal AI assistants like Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dots. “To be honest, I don’t want to create another middleman,” United CEO Scott Kirby said at an event on Tuesday, according to the Journal.Across sectors, businesses are grappling with whether to let AI agents transact on their sites, and United is not alone in blocking access for unauthorized agents. eBay appeared to block agents from browsing the site, and several major banks have also placed restrictions on them. United suggests it could reconsider its decision based on future advancements. “As third-party AI agents advance, we see the opportunities they present. However, at the same time, allowing them to interact directly with a United account or booking could involve sensitive actions, and we want to make sure we have established protections for travelers first.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Lauren FeinerAIMetaNewsOpenAITechMost PopularNvidia is reportedly preparing to fire Jensen HuangNot everyone is loving their new iPhone DuoI asked every TV manufacturer 17 questions about how they spy on youAnthropic has its own AI-powered office suite nowMicrosoft’s DLSS competitor is out for the Xbox Ally X and works in handheld modeAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
