The case centered on two specific practices: Hopper's "VIP Support" service, which charged users for limited customer support access they believed was included, and "Price Freeze," which the company claimed would hold booking prices for a set period but actually only locked rates up to a specific limit if availability remained. The FTC enforcement action relied on the FTC Act and the agency's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees. A Hopper spokesperson characterized the claims as "outdated" and unrelated to current operations.
The $35 million penalty arrives amid intensifying FTC scrutiny of dark patterns in consumer technology. It follows similar enforcement actions, including a $10 million settlement with StubHub in April 2026 for comparable fee disclosure violations. For practitioners, the settlement signals the FTC's sustained focus on mandatory fee transparency across travel and service platforms. Companies operating in this space should audit their checkout flows to ensure all fees—particularly pre-selected optional charges—are disclosed before purchase completion, not buried in interface design.