Cookie policy

Along with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, this policy provides you with information about the cookies and other similar technologies that are used by all of our websites, mobile apps and other services. We’ll review this policy from time to time to make sure it’s up-to-date. If we make changes, we’ll post the latest version here. When we make significant changes, we’ll let you know when you next access our services, or by other communications.

We use cookies and similar technologies when you use our services. These are controlled either by us directly or by third parties acting on our behalf or independently.

We use cookies and similar technologies when they are essential to deliver our services, to improve your experience through analytics and optimisation and to deliver personalised ads. You can find out more about how to manage cookies and similar technologies below.

Learn more about cookies and similar technologies

What are cookies and similar technologies?

A cookie is a small text file which is placed on your device, via your web browser, at the request of the websites you visit or applications you use and which stores information on your device for a limited period of time.

Some of the cookies we use are removed as soon you leave our site or app, because we don’t need to store this information between visits. By contrast, ‘persistent’ cookies enable our services or tags to recognise you when you make return visits to us, and automatically expire when they reach a specified expiry date unless you delete them earlier. Persistent cookies placed on your device by Skyscanner will never be stored for longer than 2 years from the date of your last visit. There are tools available to check the expiry date on cookies, and this functionality may be provided by your browser.

We also use similar technologies referred to as ‘tags’, ‘tracking pixels’, ‘code snippets’, ‘tracking URLs’, ‘local storage’ and ‘scripts’ as well as ‘software development kits (SDKs)’ and ‘device identifiers’ in our apps. These technologies are implemented on our services and may be used together with text cookies to enable information to be stored on, or transmitted to and from, the device you use to access Skyscanner.

In this policy we collectively refer to all of these app and web technologies as “cookies and similar technologies”.

We may from time to time add, remove or update the cookies and similar technologies we use across our services.

You can view the main cookies and similar technologies we use at the date of this policy in the What cookies and similar technologies do we use and how can you opt out of them? section of this policy.

Who controls these cookies and similar technologies?

The cookies and similar technologies on our services are controlled either by us directly or by third parties acting on our behalf. There are also some cookies and similar technologies which we’ve implemented for advertising purposes that are controlled by independent third parties. You can find out more about these third parties and how to opt-out of their cookies and similar technologies in the What cookies and similar technologies do we use and how can you opt out of them? section of this policy.

When you access Skyscanner via our website or app, we use cookies and similar technologies that fall under the three categories listed below.

Learn more about the cookies and similar technologies we use

1. The Essentials

Your data is collected or accessed using cookies and similar technologies that are essential to the proper functioning of our services. Like other websites and apps, you can’t opt out of these cookies and similar technologies because without them, Skyscanner wouldn’t work. We restrict these cookies and similar technologies to only those that are strictly necessary for us to deliver the products and services you have requested. For example, we use essential cookies and similar technologies to:

• record whether or not you go on to complete a booking with a travel supplier that you redirect from Skyscanner to complete a booking with, which is essential in order to enable us to ensure that the links between our platforms are working correctly and to identify and rectify any problems or errors;
• provide functionality such as Trip planning based on bookings on Skyscanner and our partners’ sites;
• remember information that is essential to determining how your search results are displayed, such as your language and currency preferences or the product features we make available to you based on factors such as the device you are using, or your city or country level geographic location;
• remember your search criteria – such as routes, dates and the number of travellers – as you move between pages and to pass this information to the travel suppliers that you redirect to from Skyscanner, or to send you to specific places within our app or on our site;
• gather important information about how our products and services are used which influence vital product decisions, updates and changes and the features we make available in certain markets;
• ensure our services are secure from automated agents, bots and fraudulent activity; and
• provide login functionality and customer support services.

View cookies and similar technologies that are essential

These are the Skyscanner and third party essential cookies and similar technologies in use at the date of this policy

Skyscanner Essential Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookie Name	Description	Privacy Policy
abgroup	Used to control product features and access to functionality	https://www.skyscanner.net/media/privacy-policy
Airport-transfers	Persists information between pages and display information requested
Auth_first_name	Track name changes in booking flows
Auth_last_name	Track name changes in booking flows
Authinfo	Check logged in status
Carhire	Persists information between pages and display information requested
Exitstate	Support refreshed pages in booking flows
Login_redirect	Redirects users to the correct page after logging in
Preferences	Used to identify and attribute traffic
Sat	Used to track conversion rates and provide product functionality in app and web
Scanner	Persists information between pages and display information requested
Ssab	Used to control product features and access to functionality
Ssculture	Stores settings such as market, locale and currency
User_credentials	Used for authentication
userJourney	Track and monitor events and avoid duplication

Third party essential cookies and tracking technologies

Cookie or Similar Technology	Description	Third Party Name	Privacy Policy
Akamai RT	Measures website performance	Akamai	https://www.akamai.com/uk/en/privacy-policies/
Auth0	Authentication and traveller user profiles	Auth0	https://auth0.com/privacy
Automattic VIP GO	Hosting for certain pages on Skyscanner sites collect operational data to ensure the service is working	Automattic Inc	https://automattic.com/privacy/
Braintree	Payment processing and secure transfer of data	Braintree	https://www.braintreepayments.com/gb/legal/braintree-privacy-policy
Branch.io	Deeplinking into specific places in app	Branch Metrics	https://branch.io/policies/#privacy
Braze SDK	Delivery of multi-channel (push, email, in app) messaging	Braze	https://www.braze.com/privacy/
Ctrip Fraud Detection	Service used to check for fraudulent transactions	Ctrip	http://pages.english.ctrip.com/webhome/purehtml/en/public/PrivacyPolicy.html
Fabric Crashlytics	Service used to identify and fix crashes in the Skyscanner app	Google	https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
Google Analytics	Business and financial reporting	Google	https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
PerimeterX	Security tool for preventing bot attacks	PerimeterX	https://www.perimeterx.com/privacy/
Polyfill.io	Service for providing polyfills for functionality not present in older browsers	The Financial Times	https://polyfill.io/v3/privacy-policy/
Sentry	Used for identifying errors and crashes	Functional Software	https://sentry.io/privacy/
Twilio	Tool for handling in-app chat and customer care	Twilio	https://www.twilio.com/legal/privacy
Zendesk	Used for help and customer support services	Zendesk	https://www.zendesk.co.uk/company/customers-partners/privacy-policy/

2. Improve your Experience

Your data is stored or accessed via cookies and similar technologies that are used to optimise and personalise your experience of the Skyscanner Services. Without them, Skyscanner would feel a lot less easy to use and you would not benefit from the best possible experience.

These cookies and similar technologies help improve your experience by allowing us to:

• recognise whether you are a first-time visitor or a return visitor and to tailor the presentation of the Skyscanner Services, such as by recalling your language and currency preferences or your most recent searches.
• recognise you when you access Skyscanner from different devices, to provide you with a consistent experience.
• monitor, test, and understand more about how our services are used and accessed such as the app store you used to download our app onto your device;
• analyse and measure product improvements and guide our product development teams based on your activities; and
• gather feedback about how you use Skyscanner and how our services perform on your device.

These cookies and similar technologies help us to make decisions about how best to develop or deliver our product to meet your needs. You can opt out of the use of these cookies and similar technologies on your device by following the instructions in the How can I withdraw my consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies? section of this policy.

View cookies and similar technologies used to improve your experience

These are the cookies and similar technologies used at the date of this policy to improve your experience. Where available, we have also included a link to opt-out of the use of third party cookies and similar technology on an individual level. You can do that by visiting the link in the table on each device you use to access Skyscanner.

Cookie or Similar Technology	Description	Owner	Privacy Policy	Opt Out Methods
AppsFlyer	Service used to identify the source of app downloads and for related analytics.	AppsFlyer	https://www.appsflyer.com/privacy-policy/	Privacy Settings or via https://www.appsflyer.com/optout
Mixpanel	Analytics tool to measure events and actions in app and on web	Mixpanel	https://mixpanel.com/legal/privacy-policy/	Privacy Settings
Usabilla	Used to collect feedback from travellers	Usabilla BV	https://usabilla.com/privacy/	Privacy Settings
Yandex Metrica	Used to collect analytics and monitor performance in the Russian market	Yandex	https://yandex.com/legal/privacy/	Privacy Settings or https://yandex.com/support/metrica/general/opt-out.html#opt-out

3. Personalise your ads

Your data may be collected and accessed using cookies and similar technologies to personalise the adverts you see while using our services and elsewhere on the web if you agree to ads personalisation. These ads will either be delivered by us directly or by third party advertising solution providers we partner with (let’s call them “Third Party Ad Solutions”).

When you are opted-in to ads personalisation, we transfer information such as the travel you have searched for or purchased using Skyscanner, the dates you want to travel and the features you have interacted with to Third Party Ad Solutions providers like Facebook and Google for the purpose of customising, optimising and improving the relevance of the advertisements you see across the web via the Third Party Ad Solution’s advertising network.

When we transfer information to Third Party Ad Solution providers like Facebook and Google, we do so using the tools they provide. They may in addition use that information to personalise features and content (including advertisements and recommendations) you see on their networks, to optimise delivery of advertisements and for research and development purposes in accordance with their policies (see for example the Facebook Privacy Policy and Google Privacy Policy).

When you are opted-in to ads personalisation we may also use information we collect via cookies and similar technologies to show you personalised ads, marketing and promotions on Skyscanner, or to send you communications where you have opted in to receive these. For example, where you book a flight using Skyscanner or redirect from Skyscanner to make a booking on one of our partner sites, we may use the information we collect via cookies and similar technologies to personalise the ads we show you or to send you personalised marketing communications relevant to your booking based on information like your destination, the time you are travelling, the services you’ve selected or which travel supplier you are travelling with. We may also use this information to provide you with relevant information about the destination you are travelling to such as City Guides or up to date weather information or to request reviews and recommendations about the places you have visited.

You can opt-out of your information being used for ads personalisation by following the steps set out in the How can I withdraw my consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies? section of this policy below.

When you opt out of ads personalisation, this will stop your information being used for advertising purposes by any of the Third Party Ad Solutions we use. You’ll no longer receive advertisements from those Third Party Ad Solutions on Skyscanner or elsewhere as you move around web. You also won’t receive personalised ads or marketing while you are on Skyscanner when you opt out of ads personalisation. However, you’ll continue to see advertising when you’re on our services based on contextual information on the page or screen you are viewing that is specific to something you may be looking at or have searched for but which is not linked to you as an individual (for example, if you have searched for a flight to London this search data will be reflected in the URL of the results page you have landed on, and this data within the URL may then be used by us to decide to include an advert relating to a hotel in London within that webpage).

You can find out more about the advertising you experience on Skyscanner in the How is your information used for advertising? section of the Privacy Policy.

View cookies and similar technologies used to personalise your ads

These are the cookies and similar technologies used at the date of this policy to personalise your ads. Where available, we have also included a link to opt-out of the use of third party cookies and similar technology on an individual level. You can do that by visiting the link in the table on each device you use to access Skyscanner.

Cookie or Similar Technology	Description	Owner	Privacy Policy	Opt Out Method
A8-net	Used to run personalised advertising campaigns in the Japanese market	F@n Communications	https://www.fancs.com/en/privacy	Privacy Settings
Adara	Used for ads personalisation across communication channels	Adara	https://adara.com/privacy-promise/	Privacy Settings or https://adara.com/opt-out/
AddThis	Technology to enable sharinig on social media sites	Oracle	https://www.oracle.com/legal/privacy/addthis-privacy-policy.html	Privacy Settings or https://datacloudoptout.oracle.com/#optout
AppNexus	Header bidding technology that allows us to serve ads	Xandr	https://www.appnexus.com/platform-privacy-policy	Privacy Settings or https://www.appnexus.com/platform-privacy-policy#choices
Bing	Used to personalise ads on the Bing network	Microsoft	https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-gb/privacystatement	Privacy Settings
Comscore	Used for audience profiling to target advertising in the Italian market	Comscore	https://www.comscore.com/About/Privacy-Policy	Privacy Settings
Criteo	Used to create audiences for advertising retargeting	Criteo	https://www.criteo.com/privacy/	Privacy Settings or https://www.criteo.com/privacy/
Facebook Analytics	Used for personalising and optimising ads shown on the Facebook network	Facebook	https://en-gb.facebook.com/policy.php	Privacy Settings or https://en-gb.facebook.com/help/568137493302217
Facebook Retargeting	Used to create customer audiences for ads personalisation on the Facebook network	Facebook	https://en-gb.facebook.com/policy.php	Privacy Settings or https://en-gb.facebook.com/help/568137493302217
Google Ads	Used to personalise ads on the Google advertising network	Google	https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=en-GB	Privacy Settings or https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en-GB
Prebid.js	Header bidding technology to allow us to display ads	Prebid.org	http://prebid.org/privacy.html	Privacy Settings
Salesforce DMP	Used to build audience segments for the purpose of serving personalised ads on the Salesforce network	Salesforce	https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/sfmc/salesforce-dmp-privacy/	Privacy Settings or https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/sfmc/salesforce-dmp-consumer-choice/
Twitter	Used to create advertising campaigns on twitter	Twitter	https://twitter.com/en/privacy	Privacy Settings or https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/privacy-controls-for-tailored-ads
Yahoo	Used for advertising personalisation the Yahoo advertising network	Oath	https://policies.oath.com/us/en/oath/privacy/index.html	Privacy Settings or https://policies.oath.com/us/en/oath/privacy/controls/index.html

When you access our services for the first time on your device, we ask you to agree to us using cookies and similar technologies in line with this policy. If you don’t agree to our use of these technologies, or you change your mind at a later date, you can withdraw your consent using the methods set out in this policy or alternatively, stop using our services.

Learn more about opting-in or opting-out of cookies and similar tracking technologies

Opt-out via Skyscanner Privacy Settings in app or on web

The most effective way to manage cookies and similar technologies on Skyscanner is to use the privacy controls we provide in our product.

You can control the non-essential cookies and similar technologies that are used on your device by visiting https://www.skyscanner.net/privacy-settings on web or via the Privacy Settings menu in the Skyscanner App. These settings enable you to opt-out or opt-in to our use of the non-essential cookies and similar technologies we use to improve your experience or to those that we use to personalise the advertisements you see.

Browser or device settings

Another way to opt out of cookies and similar technologies is via the settings of the browser or device you are using to access our services. Internet browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera and Edge have settings that allow you to control the way your information is collected and shared. Typically, these browsers allow you to view all the cookies they are storing on your device, delete your cache of cookies, and adjust your preferences for future collection. Guides on how to access and use such functionality are available at https://www.aboutcookies.org.

The downside of using browser or device settings to withdraw your consent is that it will have the effect of disabling many of the cookies and similar technologies that are essential to enabling our services to function – the impact of this is that some or all of the features and functionality we offer may stop working. Because of this, we would recommend taking a more targeted approach to withdrawing your consent. For example, if you wanted stop cookies and similar technologies being used for the purposes of serving you interest-based advertisements, then instead of blocking all cookies, you could instead opt-out of these via the Privacy Settings in Skyscanner referred to above.

Many browsers and other third parties provide specialised ad-blocking software, ‘extensions’ or tools that enable you to block the use of all cookies for advertising purposes. If you access our services from an iOS or Android device, you can also control how your information is used for certain purposes such as advertising via your device settings.

You can also find helpful information about how to manage and limit your exposure to online interest-based advertising more generally across the web at http://optout.aboutads.info, http://optout.networkadvertising.org and http://youronlinechoices.eu. You can use these services to opt-out of the majority of interest-based advertising used by us as well as other websites.

If you have any questions regarding this policy or would like more information about the cookies used on our websites, please contact us.