纽约，11月11日电：捷蓝航空总裁马蒂·圣乔治周三表示，他理解航空公司为何可能对人工智能驱动的旅行中介持警惕态度，此前联合航空表示将限制AI机器人访问其数字平台。
NEW YORK, Nov 11 : JetBlue Airways' President Marty St. George said on Wednesday that he understands why airlines may be wary of artificial intelligence-powered travel intermediaries, after United Airlines said it would restrict AI bots' access to its digital platforms.
联合航空援引数据安全担忧，采取措施屏蔽机器人，这是航空业对日益具备代表旅客规划和预订行程能力的AI代理表现出抵制的最明确信号之一。
United cited data security concerns in its move to block bots, one of the airline industry's clearest signs of resistance to AI agents that are increasingly capable of planning and booking trips on travelers' behalf.
圣乔治表示，他担心有一天中介可能会寻求因引导预订而获得补偿，从而给航空公司带来新的成本，而在该行业盈利依然难以实现。
St. George said he fears that one day intermediaries could eventually seek compensation for directing bookings, creating a new cost for airlines in an industry where profitability remains elusive.
“我能理解为什么中介的概念会让许多人感到畏惧，”圣乔治周三在纽约举行的Skift商业峰会上表示，并补充称AI行业可能会吸引“万亿美元资本”，“总得有人为这笔钱买单”。“那是我们今天不花的钱。再说了，不盈利的公司、不盈利的行业，这让人畏惧，”他说。
"I can see why the concept of intermediary may be intimidating for a lot of people," St. George said at the Skift Commerce Summit in New York on Wednesday, adding that the AI industry is likely to attract "a trillion dollars of capital" and "someone's going to have to pay for that." "That's money we're not spending today. And again, unprofitable company, unprofitable industry, that's intimidating," he said.
捷蓝航空负债及融资租赁义务约84亿美元，自2019年以来未实现年度盈利。
JetBlue, which has about $8.4 billion in debt and finance lease obligations, has not posted an annual profit since 2019.
联合航空表示，将账户凭证共享给第三方AI助手的客户可能会泄露敏感信息，并面临非预期购买、账户被篡改或常旅客里程被未经授权使用的风险。
United said customers who share account credentials with third-party AI assistants could expose sensitive information and risk unintended purchases, account modifications or unauthorized use of frequent-flyer miles.
尽管存在这些担忧，圣乔治表示，如果客户接受基于AI的预订工具，航空公司应当适应这一变化。
Despite those concerns, St. George said airlines should adapt if customers embrace AI-based booking tools.
“我们应该对客户想要的东西负责，”他说。“如果客户真的认为那是更好的方式，我们就需要想办法在他们所在的地方满足他们。”圣乔治表示，捷蓝航空也倾向于与客户保持直接关系，因为这能让航空公司更好地推销其全系列产品。他将其与在线旅行社作了类比，称其为另一个分销渠道，会给航空公司带来成本，且并不总是有益的。“这是一个有成本的渠道，而 jetblue.com 没有，”他说。
"We should be responsible for what customers want," he said. "If customers really think that's a better way to do it, we need to figure out how to meet them where they are." St. George said JetBlue also prefers maintaining direct relationships with customers because it allows the carrier to better market the full range of its products. He drew parallels with online travel agencies, which he described as another distribution channel that carries costs for airlines and aren't always beneficial. "It's a channel that has a cost, which jetblue.com does not," he said.