AI agents could turn consumer-service friction into a cost for companies

AI agents could make it easier for consumers to use flight credits, loyalty points and promotional offers that might otherwise go unclaimed. In one example, after a seven-hour flight delay, someone asked Muse to file for compensation and received a $250 credit in their Delta account about five minutes later; the claim would normally have required a cumbersome phone call.

The analysis suggests that compensation costs, estimated at about $1 per flight under earlier assumptions, could rise to $10 if agents prompt more passengers to claim. Companies may respond with their own AI agents to negotiate and resolve claims. These are projections, not established outcomes.