AI in an airline is not one risk. A model that summarises competitor fares and a model that suggests a maintenance finding should not be governed the same way. Treating them alike either blocks the low-risk work or under-controls the high-risk work.
Make autonomy explicit
We assign every agent one of five autonomy levels. At level 0 it observes and reports. At level 1 it suggests, and a person does the work. At level 2 it prepares the full action and a person approves every case. At level 3 it acts on its own inside policy limits and escalates everything else. Level 4 is fully autonomous with sample review — a level we rarely recommend for airline work.
Where airline agents sit on the autonomy scale
Examples from our airline agent designs
| Level | Example agent | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| 0 · Observe | Predictive maintenance watcher | Maintenance control |
| 1 · Suggest | Recovery options planner | OCC duty manager |
| 2 · Act with approval | Refund & compensation drafter | Refunds team lead |
| 3 · Act within limits | Fare rule extractor | Reviewer for exceptions |
Note: Illustrative designs; autonomy is agreed per agent with operations, safety and finance.