Privacy Policy
How we use and protect your data
Connect Travel Privacy Policy
As at 24th May 2018
Introduction:
Connect Travel is a partnership company owned by James and Angela Wilbraham. The trading address for Connect Travel is, Suite G17 – the Genesis Centre, Innovation Way, Stoke on Trent, ST6 4BF.
Connect Travel is both a retail and business house travel agency and as such we collect a wide variety of personal data from our clients in order to run our business and provide our clients with the travel services they wish to confirm.
This privacy policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, how we keep it secure and the rights you will have over the data we hold about you.
We aim to only collect information that is necessary for us to perform a service on your behalf and to conduct our business in an efficient and effective manner.
What Personal information do we hold about you?
From the moment you make an enquiry with Connect Travel we need to be able to take certain information from you to be able to process your enquiry through to a confirmed booking. The information we take will be pertinent to the booking process and following a confirmed booking, necessary API data, required for airline passenger laws.
The information we will take will include some, or all the following:
Full Names as per passport,
Date of Birth,
Gender
Email Address,
Contact Address,
Contact Number,
Passport Data,
Credit card/Debit card/Bank details for payments due to us.
and in some circumstances; medical information, ethnicity
This data will be given with consent by you, be that verbal or written. We will collect it from the following methods:
Telephone conversations with our staff
Emails exchanged between you and our staff
Conversations in person
Written correspondence between you and our company
Via our website should you decide to subscribe to our offers.
For this we require your consent. By giving this information freely, you are agreeing that we can process your data for the following legitimate business reasons.
To Process your booking
To keep you updated with information relating to your active booking.
To manage your checking in process with airlines and, in some cases; hotels, car hire etc.
To process your payments to us
To Identify and prevent fraud
And if you choose to opt-in; to email you with promotional offers, to write to you with promotional offers.
We will pass on your data to our third-party service providers and suppliers in relation to your booking. For instance, most airlines and cruise companies require advance passenger information (A.P.I.) Some of these companies may not be within the EU.
Whenever we process your personal data for these purposes we will ensure that your data is collected, used, stored and shared in a secure way.
Legal Basis that permits us to use your personal data
Under the new GDPR laws companies are only allowed to collect and use your personal information if we have a legal basis for doing so as set out in the data protection legislation.
Where we need information to fulfil the booking process for the travel services you require.
Where we need to comply with legal obligations
Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and for your interests.
If you do not provide the data which is needed for the booking and legitimate business needs, we will not be able to perform our agency services for you.
Data we use for marketing purposes.
Prior to GDPR all our clients who had a confirmed booking with us were given the opportunity to opt-out of receiving marketing materials from Connect Travel. We still use the data given to us in the same way and of course, you can opt-out of receiving this data. Please refer to section 8 for information on how to opt-out.
From 25th May 2018 if you make an enquiry with us or enter into a confirmed booking with a supplier that we use, we will give you the option to to receive future marketing communications. If you decide not to opt-in then we hold our right to contact you by email, via telephone or by postal mail in our legitimate interests to promote our services that are relevant to your enquiry or confirmed booking.
If you do decide to opt-in you still have the right to object to marketing communications in the future. If you ever decide that you no longer wish to receive our marketing communications, you can choose to opt-out at any time by unsubscribing from our mailing lists, by using the methods laid out in section 8.
How we share your data and who we share it with.
We will only share your personal data in our legitimate interests with our suppliers in relation to your confirmed booking. Examples of who we share your data with;
With our suppliers, such as airlines, tour operators and hotels.
Our Travel Management system is managed by Connect Travel but is stored and hosted by – Vertical Systems (TARSC). Data is stored on a secure server.
Our website is hosted by WIX.
Our marketing database is controlled by Connect Travel, but occasionally postal communications are sent out by our business consortium – Travel Trade Network Group.
We also share your personal payment data with companies in our legitimate interests with:
With some suppliers, such as airlines, tour operators and hotels.
The provider of merchant and payment services, Barclaycard Business Merchant Services.
These companies are controllers of your personal information and will have their own privacy notices on how they use your personal information, which we have no control or say over, and you should contact them regarding your personal information use. As our supplier list is lengthy, we are unable to list them on our policy, however, we are happy to provide details of the controller concerned upon request.
Be assured that where we share your personal information, we ensure that we have appropriate measures in place to keep your data safe and to ensure that it is given in accordance with our privacy instructions.
The vast majority of the data we share is in the EU and covered in the GDPR however, because we are a travel agency some of the data we transfer is outside of the EU (For instance the U.S.) When we transfer data in this way we will ensure that safeguards are in place to keep your data secure.
The length of time we will keep your data and how we will destroy it.
When you make an enquiry with us but do not confirm a booking, we will only keep your data for up to 14 days, beyond this the data is securely destroyed and no further correspondence will be sent by us to you, other than if you decided to opt-in for future marketing communications.
If you have requested to opt-in to receive our marketing communications, we will keep your personal information on our marketing databases for a period of four years. Beyond this date the data is securely destroyed.
If you confirm a booking with one, or more suppliers with us then we have the legitimate business right to keep your personal data for a period of up to seven years from the date of confirmation.
Whilst you have the right to request that we securely destroy your data please be aware that certain legitimate business circumstances will prevent us from destroying it. If you make a request to destroy the information, we will make you aware of what we can destroy and what must be kept (for up to seven years).
Disclosure of personal information:
There are occasionally circumstances where we need to share personal other than explained in previous sections. These include:
Where we are legally required to disclose the information which may include, the tax authorities and law and enforcement authorities for the purpose of prevention and detection of criminal activities and/or to prevent fraud.
Where we are legally required to disclose the data in connection with any legal proceedings, obtaining legal advice, or defending our legal rights.
Where disclosure is necessary to protect your vital interests. For instance: for medical reasons.
To any future prospective buyer of our business
Your right to access and correct the data that we hold about you
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information that we hold about you, this will include: Passenger names for your party, contact address, email address, telephone number, passport information and, in certain circumstances, ethnicity and medical details.
You have the right to receive this information free of charge. If any information we hold, is incorrect we will rectify the data with immediate effect.
If you would like to ensure that your personal information is correct and up-to-date you can request this information from us at the following address:
Connect Travel, Suite G17, The Genesis Centre, Innovation Way, Stoke on Trent, ST6 4BF.
Or you can Email: vikki@connecttravel.co.uk .
You will need to verify your identity before we can provide this information.
To opt-out of receiving future marketing communications you can request this in the following ways:
By Emailing: bookings@connecttravel.co.uk
By Writing to our office: Connect Travel, Suite G17, The Genesis Centre, innovation Way, Stoke on Trent, ST6 4BF.
By Telephoning: 01782 284284.