Travel app Hopper to pay $35M in FTC settlement over ‘unfairly’ charging hidden fees
Key takeaways
- Hopper, the travel app known for its AI-driven flight and hotel price predictions, has agreed to a $35 million settlement following a lawsuit brought by the U.S.
- It follows similar FTC settlements aimed at other companies, like Match, StubHub, neobank Dave, Fortnite, and others.
- The FTC alleged that Hopper deceived consumers regarding the benefits of its “VIP Support” and “Price Freeze” services.
Hopper, the travel app known for its AI-driven flight and hotel price predictions, has agreed to a $35 million settlement following a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The lawsuit accused the company of misleading users by imposing hidden fees and misrepresenting the total costs of Hopper’s services.
The case is another example of regulators targeting the use of dark patterns, or interface designs that manipulate users into making choices they might not otherwise have made, including those that hide charges, pre-select optional add-ons, or make it difficult to understand the true cost of a service. It follows similar FTC settlements aimed at other companies, like Match, StubHub, neobank Dave, Fortnite, and others.
The FTC alleged that Hopper deceived consumers regarding the benefits of its “VIP Support” and “Price Freeze” services. Many users were led to believe that these features would enhance their booking experience, only to find themselves facing additional costs and limited access to customer support.