The U.S. Federal Trade Commission this week ordered nine companies, including airlines and ride-hailing companies, to provide "detailed information that will allow the agency to study the use of personal data to set prices and competition."
Those companies are Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart, according to the FTC. The agency said the information would be used to assess whether pricing or services "var[y] from one person to the next based on factors such as participation in loyalty programs or analysis of personal data by superintelligence algorithms."
The request comes as travel and other industries move toward increased personalization of offers during the shopping experience, particularly with the use of AI, and the increased importance of loyalty.
In summer 2025, several U.S. senators asked for clarification from Delta after its then-president, Glen Hauenstein, talked about the carrier's use of Fetcherr and AI in revenue management. The senators in a letter expressed concern that Delta was using the AI tool for individualized pricing by way of personal information. Delta quickly denied the reports.
The nine companies have 45 days from receipt of the orders to respond, according to the FTC.
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