United Airlines bans AI agents from booking flights on behalf of travelers

Re:United Airlines bans AI agents from booking flights on be... by hello5010 on Thursday November 12, 2026 @01:08AM (#50463626)

> There are a few more modern OTAs that rebate a portion of the OTA commission back to you (see Rove, often rebating 15+%) and more that rebate a flat rate (Chase at 8%, Amex at 5%, Cap1 at 10%, etc).

Amex/Chase/Cap1 portals are still not worth it.

Even after the 5-10% cash back on hotels booked on their portal, you are still overpaying by 1-3% of the “book direct with hotel” rate.

Then once you take into account a 2-3% straight cash back card, the credit card travel portals tend to overcharge you by 5-8%. This is after taking into account all the points game nonsense. Do the math yourself.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:United Airlines bans AI agents from booking flights on be... by bartvk on Thursday November 12, 2026 @01:26AM (#50463734)

> $100 book direct Hilton/marriott/IHG rate

This hasn't been my experience. I usually search through Booking.com and when I contacted the hotel directly, found that the direct rate is higher than the booking.com rate.

[ Parent | on HN ]