Privacy Policy - faresbridge

1. Introduction and Our Commitment to Privacy

Welcome to faresbridge. At faresbridge, we understand that privacy is not just a legal requirement — it is the foundation of trust. When you choose to plan, book, or manage your travel through our platform, you entrust us with your personal information. We take that responsibility extremely seriously.

faresbridge is a USA-based third-party travel booking agency that helps customers arrange flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, car rentals, train tickets, and related travel services through independent third-party providers such as airlines, hotel chains, global distribution systems (GDS), and payment gateways.

This Privacy Policy explains:

• What information we collect from you and why
• How we use, store, and protect your information
• When and why we share your information with third parties
• Your legal rights regarding your personal data
• How we handle international data transfers
• Our use of cookies and tracking technologies
• How you can contact us with privacy concerns

By accessing or using the faresbridge website, mobile site, or customer support services, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of our services immediately.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information from and about users of our platform. This includes:

2.1 Personal Information You Provide Directly

When you make a booking, create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact customer support, we may collect:

• Full Legal Name (as it appears on government-issued ID or passport)
• Date of Birth – required for airline and hotel bookings
• Gender – sometimes required by airlines or hotels
• Passport Number and Country of Issue – for international travel
• Nationality and Residence Country
• Email Address – for booking confirmations and updates
• Phone Number (mobile and/or landline)
• Billing Address and Shipping Address (if documents need to be mailed)
• Payment Information – credit/debit card number, expiration date, CVV, billing zip code, or digital wallet details (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Frequent Flyer / Loyalty Program Numbers – for mileage accrual and upgrades
• Special Service Requests – wheelchair assistance, meal preferences, seat selection, medical needs, etc.
• Emergency Contact Information – name and phone number of a person we can contact if needed during travel

2.2 Information We Collect Automatically

When you interact with our website, we may automatically collect:

• Device Information – IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device ID, screen resolution
• Usage Data – pages viewed, time spent on pages, search queries, clickstream data, referral URLs, exit pages
• Location Data – approximate geographic location based on IP address (exact GPS location is never collected without your permission)
• Cookies and Similar Technologies – unique identifiers stored on your browser to remember preferences and analyze behavior (see Section 10 on Cookies)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

• Travel Suppliers – airlines, hotels, car rental companies (e.g., booking confirmations, flight status changes)
• Payment Processors – Stripe, PayPal, Braintree (e.g., transaction confirmation, fraud alerts)
• Social Media Platforms – if you log in using Facebook or Google, we may receive your public profile information (name, email, profile picture) based on your privacy settings
• Data Analytics Providers – Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Hotjar (aggregated behavioral data)
• Fraud Prevention Services – to verify identity and prevent fraudulent bookings

3. How We Use Your Information

faresbridge uses your personal information only for legitimate business purposes, including:

3.1 Core Booking Services

• To search for available flights, hotels, cars, and packages based on your criteria
• To process payments and issue invoices or receipts
• To confirm reservations with airlines, hotels, and other travel suppliers
• To send booking confirmations, e-tickets, hotel vouchers, and itinerary updates
• To communicate schedule changes, cancellations, or delays
• To provide customer support before, during, and after your trip

3.2 Account Management

• To create and manage your faresbridge user account
• To save your preferences (currency, language, seat preferences, meal choices)
• To store your frequent flyer numbers for automatic application to future bookings

3.3 Marketing and Promotions (with your consent)

• To send you promotional emails about exclusive deals, flash sales, and travel inspiration
• To display personalized travel recommendations on our website
• To administer contests, sweepstakes, or loyalty programs
• To send push notifications (if you enable them on mobile devices)

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link in any email or updating your account preferences.

3.4 Legal and Security Purposes

• To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent transactions or unauthorized account access
• To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, or government requests
• To enforce our Terms of Service and other legal agreements
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of faresbridge, our customers, or others

3.5 Website Improvement and Analytics

• To analyze usage trends and improve website functionality
• To troubleshoot technical issues and optimize page load speeds
• To conduct A/B testing and user experience research
• To generate aggregated, anonymized reports (e.g., "50% of users search for flights on weekends")

4. Legal Basis for Processing (For GDPR and Other Privacy Laws)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

Purpose	Legal Basis
Booking travel services	Contractual necessity
Processing payments	Contractual necessity
Sending booking confirmations	Contractual necessity
Customer support	Contractual necessity & legitimate interest
Fraud prevention	Legal obligation & legitimate interest
Marketing emails	Consent (opt-in)
Website analytics	Legitimate interest
Legal compliance	Legal obligation

Legitimate Interests include: improving our services, preventing fraud, ensuring network security, and direct marketing (where permitted by law). You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.

5. Sharing Your Information with Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to unrelated third parties for their own marketing purposes. However, to fulfill your travel booking, we must share your information with the following categories of recipients:

5.1 Travel Suppliers

• Airlines (e.g., Delta, United, Emirates, Ryanair) – name, date of birth, passport number, TSA Secure Flight data, frequent flyer number
• Hotels (e.g., Marriott, Hilton, Airbnb) – name, contact details, check-in/out dates, special requests
• Car Rental Companies (e.g., Hertz, Avis, Enterprise) – driver's license information, credit card for deposit
• Cruise Lines (e.g., Carnival, Royal Caribbean) – passport details, emergency contact, medical needs
• Train Operators (e.g., Amtrak, Eurostar) – name, seat preferences

5.2 Service Providers and Partners

• Payment Processors (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Adyen) – to securely charge your card
• Fraud Prevention Services – to verify identity and flag suspicious transactions
• Email Service Providers (SendGrid, Mailchimp) – to send booking confirmations and marketing emails
• Cloud Storage Providers (AWS, Google Cloud) – to host our servers and databases
• Customer Support Platforms (Zendesk, Freshdesk) – to manage support tickets and chat history
• Analytics Providers (Google Analytics, Hotjar, Mixpanel) – to analyze website usage

5.3 Legal and Regulatory Authorities

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, such as:

• In response to a subpoena, court order, or search warrant
• To comply with TSA, CBP, or immigration regulations
• To report suspected fraud, money laundering, or terrorist financing
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of faresbridge, our users, or the public

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred to the new owner. We will notify you via email or a prominent notice on our website before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. International Data Transfers

faresbridge operates globally. Your personal information may be transferred to, stored, or processed in countries outside your country of residence, including the United States, India, United Kingdom, European Union, and Singapore.

Some of these countries may have data protection laws that are different from (and potentially less stringent than) those in your country. However, we take steps to ensure that your data receives adequate protection, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with all third-party service providers
• Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) – if applicable to our corporate group

By using faresbridge, you explicitly consent to the transfer of your personal information to countries outside your residence, including the United States.

7. Data Security Measures

We implement industry-standard technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

7.1 Technical Safeguards

• SSL/TLS Encryption – All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using 256-bit SSL certificates
• Tokenization – Payment card details are replaced with non-sensitive tokens; we never store full CVV numbers
• Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems – To block malicious traffic and detect unauthorized access attempts
• Regular Security Audits – Third-party penetration testing and vulnerability scanning at least twice per year
• Database Encryption – Personal data stored in our databases is encrypted at rest (AES-256)

7.2 Administrative Safeguards

• Access Controls – Only authorized employees who need your data to perform their jobs can access it
• Employee Training – All faresbridge staff undergo mandatory privacy and security awareness training every 6 months
• Vendor Risk Assessments – We evaluate all third-party service providers before sharing data with them

8. Data Retention Policy

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Type of Data	Retention Period
Booking records (flights, hotels, cars)	7 years (for tax, accounting, and legal dispute purposes)
Payment transaction data	7 years
Customer support chat/email history	3 years
Marketing preferences (consent records)	Until you withdraw consent
Unused user accounts (no bookings in 3+ years)	Deleted after 3 years of inactivity
Website usage logs (IP addresses, clickstream)	12 months (anonymized after 30 days)

9. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on your country or state of residence, you may have the following rights under laws such as the GDPR (Europe), CCPA/CPRA (California), LGPD (Brazil), or PIPEDA (Canada).

9.1 Rights Available to All Users

• Right to Access – You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification – You can correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Deletion (Right to be Forgotten) – You can request deletion of your data, subject to legal exceptions.
• Right to Restrict Processing – You can ask us to temporarily stop processing your data.
• Right to Data Portability – You can request a machine-readable copy of your data.
• Right to Object – You can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent – If we rely on your consent for marketing, you can withdraw it at any time.

9.2 How to Exercise Your Rights

To submit a privacy request:

• Email: privacy@faresbridge.com
• Online Form: Visit www.faresbridge.com/privacy/request

We will respond to verified requests within 30 days. Identity verification may require government ID or proof of account ownership.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

faresbridge uses cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and serve personalized advertisements.

10.1 Types of Cookies We Use

Cookie Type	Purpose	Duration
Strictly Necessary Cookies	Essential for website functionality (login, booking engine, payment processing)	Session to persistent (up to 1 year)
Preference Cookies	Remember your language, currency, and seat/meal preferences	6–12 months
Analytics/Performance Cookies	Collect anonymous usage data via Google Analytics	14 months
Marketing/Targeting Cookies	Track your browsing to show relevant travel ads	90 days to 2 years

10.2 Your Cookie Choices

Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. For instructions, visit your browser's help section. Please note: disabling cookies may cause some features of the faresbridge website to function improperly.

11. Children's Privacy

faresbridge does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or 16 in certain jurisdictions such as California or the EU). Our services are intended for adults who are at least 18 years old.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@faresbridge.com. Upon verification, we will delete the information promptly.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites operated by airlines, hotels, insurance providers, or other third parties. This Privacy Policy applies only to faresbridge. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the privacy practices of those third-party sites.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The revised version will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Material changes will be communicated via a prominent notice on our website or by email.

Your continued use of faresbridge after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Acknowledgment and Consent

By using the faresbridge website, mobile application, or customer support services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. You explicitly consent to the collection, use, storage, transfer, and disclosure of your personal information as described herein.

If you are providing information on behalf of another traveler (e.g., booking a flight for a family member), you confirm that you have obtained their explicit consent to share their personal information with faresbridge for the purposes outlined in this policy.