HEY, WE DON’T SERVE THEIR KIND HERE! YOUR DROIDS — THEY’LL HAVE TO WAIT OUTSIDE. WE DON’T WANT THEM HERE! Southwest Bans Humanoid Robots After Viral Passenger Flights.
A humanoid robot made it to Dallas. Its fellow robots may not get the same boarding pass.
Southwest Airlines has banned “human-like or animal-like robots” from passenger cabins and checked luggage, citing concerns about the lithium-ion batteries used to power them. The rule follows viral flights in which travelers bought seats for event robots, creating confusion for crews over whether the machines counted as passengers, carry-ons, or something stranger in between.
The ban turns a quirky travel story into a sharper industry question: Will other airlines follow Southwest’s lead as lifelike robots become more common in public spaces?