This Cookie Statement explains what cookies are and how and why we use them on our website.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that is placed on the browser of your computer, tablet or mobile device by us. This information is then sent back to our systems and recorded as you move around our website. Cookies are unique to the browser that you are using, so if you use both a mobile and computer to access our site, different data will be collected for each.
There are both session cookies and persistent cookies. Session cookies exist only for the length of time that you visit our site and are deleted once you close your browser, whereas persistent cookies remain stored on your browser ready for use the next time you visit our website. Like most sites, we use a combination of both.
What types of cookies do we use?
The following are the types of cookies that our website uses:
- Technical cookies. These are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you carry out searches, log into secure areas of our website and make payments.
- Analytical/performance cookies. These allow us to gain an insight into how visitors use our website, so we can improve it. We are able to count the number of visitors and review which pages they visit. We also use these cookies to monitor which marketing activities are generating traffic to our website.
- Functionality cookies. These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. This enables us to personalise our content for you and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or the destination that you last searched for).
- Targeting / Third Party cookies These cookies may be used by us, social networking sites, other third-party suppliers and/or advertisers to record your visits to our website and enable interaction with you once you have left our website. The information obtained is used to personalise any adverts that you see for our products, whether they appear on our website or on third party websites.
We will collect the IP address of the device you are using to access our website (e.g. your phone, mobile, laptop or home computer IP address) when you visit our website. From this we may be able to identify the approximate location of the device you are using to visit our website and the domain that it is using to access the Internet.
We may use cookies other than those described above but will update this Cookies Statement as soon as possible once new cookies are introduced to ensure that this Cookies Statement is up-to-date.
How do we use cookies?
We use these cookies in the following ways:
- Bookings: When you book through our website, we use cookies to keep track of what you’re booking and the information that you have entered as you move through each stage of the booking process. More information about how and when this information is used by us is contained in our Privacy Policy
- Searches and preferences: Cookies enable our search panel to remember any information you have inputted, so if you come back to have another look for a similar holiday on the same device, you won’t have to fill everything in again. If you select a holiday but then leave our website and come back later to book, we will have stored the holiday using cookies so you shouldn’t have to search for it again. Similarly if you save any deals into our online scrapbook, they will be waiting for you if you want to have another look.
- Improving your experience: We also use cookies to collect information which we can analyse to determine how our customers use our website and what they want from our website. We can then use this data to ensure that we are providing you with the holidays that you want in the most accessible way that we can. When you visit our website, we want to show you products that we think you will like, whether it is flights from your nearest airport (we do not use live location data to provide this information) or hotels in destinations that you have already searched for. It is cookies that enable us to do this by letting us know that you’re accessing our website from a particular device or computer, enabling us to work out what is most relevant to you.
- Marketing: If you receive our marketing messages, including emails, it is likely that we will link the information that we obtain through cookies with your email registration details so we can tailor the information we send to you, unless you tell us not to. Remember that you can opt-out in every email we send to you – Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.
- Advertising through our network: When you are on other websites, you may see adverts showing hotels and flights that you searched for when you last visited our website. We work with selected advertising networks and agencies who use cookies on our website to collect information on your preferences, so that when you see one of our adverts somewhere else it is tailored to you. Please note that we do not have control over the way in which these third parties use your cookies and if you don’t want them to have access to your cookies you should manage your cookie preferences as outlined in the ‘What can you do about cookies?’ section below.
Third Party Provider Tracking
We use the services of Google Analytics to optimise our website and our services. Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies, text files stored on your computer, to help us analyse how users use the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google in their data centres. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for us, and providing other services relating to activity on the website and internet usage to us. Your IP address, which has been transmitted by Google Analytics, will not be associated with any other data held by Google. You can prohibit Google from collecting and analysing the cookie generated data about your use of the website (including your IP address) by downloading and installing the browser plugin available here: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.
What can you do about cookies?
If you would like to learn more about cookies and how to manage and delete them, you can visit the help section of your browser. Here, you should be able to control which cookies you accept and reject or you can ask to be notified when a cookie is set.
Please note that if you choose not to accept certain technical or functional cookies, you may not be able to book using our website or use all of its features.
Changes to our Cookie Statement
We may change this cookie statement from time to time. Please check back to this page regularly for updates