Hopper to pay $35M in FTC settlement over hidden fees

Hopper, the travel app launched in 2014, has agreed to a $35 million settlement following a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which serves as the U.S. federal regulator. The lawsuit accused the company of misleading users by imposing hidden fees and misrepresenting the total costs of its services. Specifically, the FTC alleged that Hopper deceived consumers regarding the benefits of its “VIP Support” and “Price Freeze” services. The settlement funds are designated for consumer redress.

The case highlights the regulator’s ongoing crackdown on dark patterns, which are interface designs that manipulate users into making choices they might not otherwise have made. The FTC has targeted similar interface issues across several consumer-facing platforms. Other companies cited as having similar FTC settlements over their display practices include Match, Dave, and Fortnite. Additionally, StubHub agreed to a $10 million settlement, while Booking Holdings settled for $9.5 million following a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Hopper, which surpassed 120 million lifetime downloads worldwide in 2024, maintains that the allegations have no bearing on its current operations. A company spokesperson stated that the FTC’s allegations focused on primarily outdated display practices implemented during the pandemic, which were limited to the Hopper app. According to the spokesperson, these practices were discontinued in mid-2023, prior to the start of the FTC’s inquiry, which involved a review of company files dating back to 2021.

The company emphasized that the settlement is a strategic decision to move forward rather than an admission of guilt. “We decided to settle because the claims at issue are outdated and have no bearing on our business,” a company spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that pursuing years of litigation over outdated, ticky-tacky issues would distract the company from its current customers and partners, noting that the settlement amount does not reflect the merit of the claims.

Why it matters

The settlement is part of a broader regulatory push against dark patterns in consumer-facing apps, signaling that interface design choices are increasingly under legal scrutiny.