Hopper Agrees to $35 Million FTC Settlement Over Alleged Hidden Travel Fees

Hopper, the travel booking app known for using artificial intelligence to predict flight and hotel prices, has agreed to pay $35 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The agency alleged that the company misled consumers by charging hidden fees and failing to accurately disclose the full cost of its services.

The case represents another step in the FTC’s ongoing efforts to crack down on so-called “dark patterns,” interface designs that influence users into making decisions they may not otherwise choose. These practices can include concealing fees, automatically selecting optional services, or making it difficult for customers to understand the true price of a purchase. The agency has previously reached similar settlements with companies including Match, StubHub, Dave, Fortnite, and others.

According to the FTC, Hopper misrepresented the value of its “VIP Support” and “Price Freeze” features. The agency alleged that many customers believed these services would improve their booking experience, only to discover unexpected charges and limited access to customer support.

The FTC also claimed that Hopper charged users for “Tip” and VIP Support fees that were presented as optional but were frequently pre-selected and not immediately visible within the app’s interface. In many cases, users only saw these additional charges after scrolling further down the booking page, leading some customers to incur fees they believed they had never agreed to pay.

The complaint also addressed Hopper’s “Price Freeze” and “Hold the Room” services, which were promoted as allowing customers to lock in travel prices for a specified period. However, the FTC said the company did not clearly explain the limitations of these offerings. For example, the Price Freeze feature only protects fares up to a certain limit and remains valid only while the booking itself is still available.

According to the FTC, the $35 million settlement will be used to provide consumer redress. As part of the agreement, Hopper is prohibited from misrepresenting its pricing practices and must clearly disclose all applicable fees. Hence,o customers understand the full cost of a booking before completing a purchase.

A spokesperson for Hopper said the company chose to settle because the allegations relate to practices that are no longer part of its business.

“We decided to settle because the claims at issue are outdated and have no bearing on our business,” the spokesperson said. “Pursuing years of litigation over outdated, ticky-tacky issues would distract us from our current customers and partners… The settlement amount does not reflect the merit of the claims. It reflects our decision to move forward.”

The spokesperson also stated that, after examining millions of company records dating back to 2021, the FTC’s investigation focused primarily on interface designs introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the company, those display practices were limited to the Hopper app and had already been discontinued in mid-2023, before the FTC began its inquiry.

Hopper’s settlement follows several other regulatory actions targeting what the FTC describes as “junk fees.” StubHub previously agreed to pay $10 million to customers and modify the way ticket prices are displayed. Meanwhile, Booking Holdings reached a $9.5 million settlement after a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleged that customers were shown low hotel rates. At the same time, mandatory fees were withheld until the final stages of checkout.

Hopper first launched its travel application in 2014 and surpassed 120 million lifetime downloads worldwide in 2024, making it one of the most widely used travel-booking platforms on the market.