Expedia, Booking shares rise as much as 3.1% after United blocks AI bookings
Key Facts
Expedia shares rose as much as 3.1% and Booking shares as much as 1.1% during the Nov. 11 session after United Airlines barred artificial intelligence tools from making bookings through its platforms, according to Investing.com. The report linked the two stocks’ moves to the airline’s announcement as automated tools expand to cover flight searches and purchases. United said protecting customer data and accounts is a priority, citing privacy risks and unintended purchases as reasons for the decision. It also warned that the tools could violate rules governing information that must be shown to travelers. The company did not say that protecting market share or commissions was a goal of the ban.
United said sharing login details with a third-party AI assistant could expose sensitive information and could also result in an unintended purchase, an account change or the use of MileagePlus miles. The warning puts account data and transaction authorization at the center of the company’s justification for restricting access. It also noted that completing check-in requires travelers to confirm that their bags contain no prohibited items, such as explosives. According to the company, automated tools cannot provide that human confirmation. Its objection therefore extends from booking to travel procedures that require direct confirmation from the customer.
United said it would restrict the use of these tools both directly on its digital platforms and indirectly through travel agencies and booking aggregators. The approach includes, according to Investing.com, channels through which a booking can be made even when the user does not interact directly with the company’s website. The company said officials in the banking and retail sectors had taken similar steps regarding AI agents. The decision places the use of automated agents within a broader debate among companies in different industries. But the company presented data, compliance and travel-procedure concerns as its stated reasons for the decision.
The ban comes as Expedia was expanding its AI-powered products. On Oct. 28, the group announced more than 30 new and enhanced features across Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo. The updates included natural-language search, an activities planner and AI-powered hotel comparisons, according to the company’s announcement. This highlights a contrast between a booking platform expanding AI tools to help customers on their journeys and an airline’s decision to restrict those tools from making bookings. Expedia Chief Executive Ariane Gorin said the company exceeded the high end of its quarterly guidance, citing resilient travel demand and strong execution. She added that AI creates business opportunities by improving productivity and creating new sources of growth.
Expedia reported third-quarter results on Nov. 4, saying gross bookings rose 11% year over year, while revenue increased 12%. Business-to-business bookings grew 19% over the same period. These figures provide context for the group’s performance before the two stocks moved during the Nov. 11 session, but they relate to the third quarter and are not indicators of the impact of United’s decision. EL7’s available closing prices are for Nov. 10: $253.77 for Expedia, $159.26 for Booking Holdings and $120.56 for United Airlines. Those are the prior session’s levels, separate from the peak gains recorded during the session covered by the news.
For the fourth quarter of 2026, Expedia forecast gross bookings of between $27.9 billion and $28.4 billion and revenue of between $3.69 billion and $3.75 billion. These ranges are the guidance the company issued after its third-quarter results and the next specified financial indicator in its filing. Gorin said third-quarter results exceeded the high end of the company’s guidance, citing resilient demand and strong execution. She also described AI as a source of opportunities tied to productivity and growth. At the same time, United’s decision shows that using these tools to execute transactions faces restrictions that the company said are based on customer data protection, compliance and travel procedures.