Cookie Policy

Last updated on 5th May 2019

By using any IMS Vet website, mobile website or mobile application (“our websites”) you confirm that you agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies in accordance with this cookie policy.
This cookie policy provides information about the cookies and similar technologies used on our websites. This cookie policy should be read in conjunction with the IMS Vet privacy statement.

If you would like to limit or control the type of cookies that are set on your computer or device, please refer to the section below titled How to control cookie settings on your computer.

What are cookies?

A ‘cookie’ is a small text file that can be placed on your computer, mobile or another device, when browsing a website. Two kinds of cookies are used on our websites: session cookies and persistent cookies.

Session cookies are used to remember selections made in the booking process, giving you a more seamless booking experience on our websites. Session cookies are deleted automatically when you leave a website or close your browser.

Persistent cookies are used to help us identify customers when they return to our websites and help us remember certain information about customer preferences on our websites and customer online activity. These cookies also help us understand browsing behaviour within our websites, which can assist us in customising content that we believe will be most relevant to your interests. Persistent cookies are stored on the user’s computer or device and are not deleted when the browser is closed – these cookies must be ‘manually’ deleted if you want to remove them.

First and third party cookies

IMS Vet sets cookies (first-party cookies) on web pages; however, where we require additional information and services we also allow other companies to host cookies on our web pages (third-party cookies). These partner companies have been carefully selected by IMS Vet and are monitored by us. Third party cookies that our partners set on our websites will support the customisation of advertisements viewed elsewhere on the internet and are required to meet contractual obligations they have with us.

What does IMS Vet use cookies for?

IMS Vet uses cookies and similar technologies for the following key purposes:

To operate our websites efficiently with a high level of functionality
To measure the effectiveness of our marketing initiatives
To learn about customer preferences so that we can present customers with web content and advertising that is relevant to them
To measure the number of advertising referrals we have received to our websites from other websites
To produce data for reporting on completed and abandoned bookings on our website
To produce data on web traffic and customer web activity through our website

The cookies used by IMS Vet are categorised into four groups (being those specified in the International Chamber of Commerce UK Cookie Guide published in April 2012):

Strictly Necessary cookies – these cookies are used for technical reasons and are necessary to enable our websites to operate efficiently so that visitors can navigate around our websites with ease and use specific features. These include, for example, cookies that allow you to log into secure areas of our websites, make a purchase or use e-billing services. If these cookies are blocked or disabled, some of the website’s functions will not be available to you, and you may not be able to use our online services. These cookies do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing.

Performance cookies – these cookies are used to obtain statistics about the number of visitors to our websites and how our visitors use our websites, for example, which pages are most popular. This information is aggregated and is not used to identify individuals. Such information allows us to continuously improve our websites to provide our customers with a better online experience (such as enabling users to find what they are looking for more easily). These cookies do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing.

Functionality cookies – these cookies are used to improve the functionality of our websites and make them easier for visitors to use. They help us to identify you as a repeat visitor to our websites and help us remember your preferences. These cookies help us remember your language preferences; whether you are logging in as a registered user of our websites or as an Airpoints Member; your recent flight searches on our websites including the country of your selected departure, and departure date; and the previous information you have entered onto our websites. The information collected by these cookies helps save you time and makes searching for the same flights easier and quicker. We use the information about the previous flights and products you selected to present you with relevant offers next time you visit our websites.

Advertising/targeting cookies – these cookies are used to recognise you online and to gather information about your online activity and browsing habits (including the pages you have visited and the links you have followed, including from an IMS Vet electronic direct marketing message). We may combine such information with other personal information that we have collected about you (for example through our websites) in order to create a user profile for you. These cookies, in combination with any user profile that we may create for you, assist us to make our websites and apps, and the advertising displayed on IMS Vet and third-party websites and on our apps more relevant to you (i.e. by helping us tailor our content, marketing communications, offers and advertisements to your interests). For example, we may use information about the previous flights and products you selected to present you with relevant offers the next time you visit our websites. These cookies may be placed on our websites by us or by carefully selected third parties on our behalf (with our permission), in order to help us (with the assistance of carefully selected third parties where appropriate) to (i) track the effectiveness of advertising and online marketing campaigns, (ii) measure referrals from third party sites to our website, (iii) collect data about completed and abandoned bookings on our website and (iv) conduct market research. IMS Vet may share the information we learn through advertising/targeting cookies with carefully selected third parties for these purposes unless you disable or block cookies.

For more information about advertising/targeting cookies and to understand your options, please visit http://www.aboutads.info.

Examples of cookies used on IMS Vet’s websites

Category of cookie ExampleOracle RightNow
Performance/Tracking Google Analytics
Tagman
Amazon Cloudfront
Akamai
F5 Networks
Cloud Flare
Optimizely
Edgecast
RSA
Oracle ATG
Digital DM Publishing
Disqus
Innovata Flight Maps
Threat Metrix
Issuu
Advertising/Targeting Adobe Audience Manager
Atlas
Boxever
Comission Junction
Invite Media
Marin
Right Media
Scorecard Research
Silverpop
SpecificClick
ValueClick Media
How we respond to ‘Do Not Track’ browser signals

Some web browsers offer a “Do Not Track” signal that is a HTTP header field indicating your preference regarding tracking or cross-site user tracking.

Please be aware that our websites do not recognise ‘Do Not Track’ signals. If you would like to block some or all of the cookies on our websites, you can do this by manually adjusting the cookie settings on your internet browser. Please see the section below titled How to control cookie settings on your computer.

We work with third parties that use online tracking technologies on our websites in order to provide tailored advertisements on our behalf and on behalf of other advertisers across the internet. These companies may collect information about your activity on our websites and your interaction with our advertising and other communications, and use this information to determine which ads you see on third-party websites and applications.

How to control cookie settings on your computer

If you would like to block some or all of the cookies on our websites from being downloaded onto your computer or device, you can do this by manually adjusting the cookie settings on your internet browser. To learn how to manage the cookie preferences on your internet browser, click on the ‘Help’ menu on the internet browser.

If you choose to block some or all of the cookies on our website, parts of our website will not function correctly and may not function at all. This means that we may not be able to offer our web services to you. You may not be able to search for a flight, make a new booking, or change an existing booking on our website. Also, you may not be able to complete other online transactions that would normally be available on our website for your convenience.

For more information on how to control your cookie settings and browser settings on your computer, and how to delete cookies on your hard drive, please visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.youronlinechoices.eu.

Changes to this cookie policy

We may make changes to this cookie policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the cookie policy on our websites. We will also specify the date of the last update.

Translations

Where a translation of this cookie policy is made available in a language other than English, in the event of a conflict between the English version of this cookie policy and any translation, the English version shall prevail.