GoKawiilWTF?! In an almost Star Wars-esque echo of "We don't serve their kind here," United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have joined other airlines in banning humanoid and animal-like robots from flights. The machines are banned from traveling either in their own seats in the cabin or in the baggage hold.
The devices that fall under this rule are defined by United as a humanoid robot that is an artificial intelligence-driven or remote-controlled machine that mimics how a human looks, moves, thinks, and speaks. An animal-like robot is pretty much the same, except that it looks and behaves like an animal. The updated definitions are supposed to differentiate these bots from everyday consumer gadgets and toys that don't meet the criteria.
In fairness, this isn't some kind of anti-clanker prejudice by the airlines. It's all about safety, especially in regard to the robots' lithium batteries. A single battery can't be more than 100 watt-hours. If a device has two, they can't exceed 160 watt-hours. Anything with three lithium batteries won't be getting on a plane at all.
The companies are joining Southwest Airlines in banning the bots. In May, a 3.5-foot robot called Stewie was taken on a Southwest flight from Las Vegas to Dallas by owner Aaron Mehdizadeh, who owns a robot-rental studio in Dallas.
– Aaron Mehdizadeh (@rentbotsTX) May 12, 2026
Mehdizadeh bought a seat for Stewie, which used a custom battery pack that was just under the legal limit. But, despite claims that no FAA rules were broken, Southwest banned any robots from its flights just two days after the incident. The owner believes this is arguably a case of "robophobia," while the airline said the restriction was to ensure compliance with lithium-ion battery safety guidelines.
Stewie was also quite upset at the airline's actions. "It's a total conspiracy. I swear they don't want us robots peeking at the clouds, seeing what's really up there. My dreams got clipped faster than a bad haircut," the robot complained.
While US airlines don't seem impressed by humanoid robots, the machines are being tested by Japan Airlines at Tokyo's Haneda Airport as baggage-handling assistants. JAL and its partner in the initiative, Japan Airlines GMO Internet Group, hope that the experiment, which is scheduled to end in 2028, will ease the strain on human workers as tourism surges and Japan's severe labor shortages continue to impact industries.