Privacy Policy
Last updated:
This policy describes how the UK operator of IdleAirways ("we" or "us") uses personal information to provide the game in browser, desktop, and supported mobile builds. We are responsible for the personal information used to operate IdleAirways. For privacy enquiries or requests, contact [email protected].
Accounts and sign-in
IdleAirways stores a player identifier, manager name, account creation details, and whether an account is a guest account. When you register with email and password, it also stores your email address, a password hash rather than your readable password, and email verification status.
If you sign in or link an account through Steam, we receive authentication information from Steam and store your Steam identifier to associate your Steam account with your player account. Short-lived authentication records support sign-in and linking. Steam handles its own sign-in service. Purchase records may retain the Steam identity associated with a transaction after an account is unlinked so that the transaction can still be verified.
Saved gameplay
The game stores your airport name and layout, buildings, airport cash, premium coin balance, cosmetics, achievements, quests, airport settings, and simulation records. These records let the game restore your airport, calculate earnings, deliver rewards, and provide multiplayer visits and leaderboards. Guest accounts also have saved gameplay records.
Purchases
Purchase records include your player identifier, products, provider and transaction references, relevant store account identifiers or purchase proofs, charge currency and amount, verification and delivery states, refunds, and coin or cosmetic changes. These records support payment verification, delivery, restoration, reconciliation, and purchase support, including virtual coin shortfalls following refunds.
Depending on your platform and enabled payment options, Stripe, Steam, Apple, or Google handles checkout and provides transaction information to us. We send the purchase references, product information, and account identifiers needed for the relevant payment or verification process. Payment credentials and card details are handled by the checkout provider and are not stored in game purchase records.
Gameplay analytics and optional video advertising
Our own game and shop records include player-linked activity events, shop views, checkout interactions, quest activation, cash grants, purchases, refunds, and video rewards. We use these first-party records to understand use of the game and shop, assess progression, and improve the service. They are separate from the advertising services used for optional mobile videos.
Where video rewards are available, Google's mobile advertising and consent SDKs request consent information and show a consent form when required before requesting an advert. Advertising services may process device or advertising identifiers, IP addresses, device information, and interactions with adverts under their own privacy information and the choices presented to you. We provide your player identifier and a one-use reward reference for server-side reward verification, and record the advertising transaction reference.
You can choose not to request a video reward and continue playing. Where processing relies on your consent, you can withdraw it; contact support for help with a withdrawal request. Your device or advertising provider may also offer privacy controls. Not requesting further videos does not itself erase existing reward, analytics, or provider records.
Information other players can see
Multiplayer features display manager names, airport names and information, leaderboard results, and airports that other players visit. Chat messages are stored with your player identifier, manager name, airport name where available, and the time sent. Stored chat history can include the name used when a message was sent.
Do not include private information in chat or player-visible names. Email addresses, password hashes, and sign-in cookies are not part of public airport or chat information.
We use name checks and moderation tools to restrict inappropriate names or chat, remove messages, and record account roles or chat restrictions. Authorised administrators can review relevant account, gameplay, transaction, and technical records to provide support and investigate abuse. Contact support if you believe a restriction was mistaken.
Cookies and preferences on your device
A session cookie keeps you signed in and authenticates requests to the game. Session records include an expiry time, your player identifier, IP address, and browser or app user-agent information. Signing out ends the current session; guest sign-out can also remove access to guest progress.
Local storage on your device remembers render quality, frame rate, weather particles, high text contrast, quest tracker visibility and minimisation, and the Discord Rich Presence preference. Clearing cookies can sign you out; clearing local storage can reset these preferences. These policy pages do not require sign-in or run the game client.
Technical records and verification emails
The servers record game commands, submitted command data and outcomes, timestamps, player identifiers, and IP addresses in audit records. Technical and connection logs support operation of the game, security, and investigation of errors or abuse. Replay-prevention records stop the same command being applied more than once.
Email verification uses your email address and verification tokens. Email delivery records include the recipient, message content, delivery attempts, and delivery status. Where configured, Resend processes account verification emails to deliver them.
If you contact support, we use your contact details, correspondence, and any account or purchase references you provide to investigate and respond. Please do not send passwords, session cookies, full payment details, or unnecessary personal information.
Why we use information and our legal bases
- Providing the game and purchases: we use account, session, gameplay, transaction, and necessary service-message information to perform our contract with you, including saving progress, authenticating access, and delivering purchases.
- Security, moderation, support, and service analysis: we rely on legitimate interests in protecting accounts, preventing fraud and abuse, resolving enquiries, and understanding and improving the game. We consider these interests alongside your privacy rights, including the interests of younger players.
- Legal requirements: where applicable, we process or retain information to meet legal obligations, such as accounting requirements or responding to a legally binding request.
- Optional advertising: where consent is required for advertising-related processing or device access, we rely on consent and the choices presented by the advertising consent service. Agreeing to the game terms does not itself give advertising consent.
Account and session identifiers and saved gameplay are needed to provide online play. Email registration requires an email address and password; Steam sign-in requires Steam authentication instead. Payment verification requires the relevant transaction information. Without the information needed for a feature, we cannot provide that feature. Video rewards and Discord presence are optional.
Optional Discord presence and external services
Desktop and Steam builds can show your current game activity and elapsed session time through Discord Rich Presence when Discord is available and the feature is enabled. You can switch it off in Settings. This feature does not require a Discord sign-in within IdleAirways.
Hosting and infrastructure providers process information needed to store and run the game. Email, payment, store, advertising, and Discord integrations receive information for the functions described above when used. These providers may process information outside the UK. Their own services are governed by their privacy policies. Contact support with questions about the providers handling your information and international processing.
We may disclose relevant information where required by law or necessary to investigate fraud, protect players, or establish or defend legal claims.
How long records are kept
Account and gameplay records remain on the server to support continued play, including when you are offline. Signing out, clearing browser data, or uninstalling the app does not delete your account. An airport reset is separate from account deletion and does not remove your premium wallet or owned cosmetics.
Sessions stop authorising access at their expiry time. Background cleanup periodically removes expired session and email-verification records in batches, so removal may occur after expiry. Cached command responses become eligible for cleanup after seven days; the smaller replay-prevention identifiers remain. This does not delete the separate command audit trail.
Other records, including chat, command audit records, purchase histories, analytics, and sent email records, do not currently share a fixed automatic deletion period. Retention depends on the record's purpose, continued account use, support or security investigations, refund and dispute handling, and applicable legal requirements. Contact support to ask about a particular record or request its deletion.
Account deletion can remove account-linked gameplay and other linked records, but does not necessarily remove all information immediately. Separate audit or financial records may remain where needed for legal obligations, security, or disputes. Backups can retain earlier copies until they are replaced or expire under the backup process; deletion from the live game does not immediately remove those copies.
Your privacy rights and requests
Under applicable data protection law, you may have rights to access your personal information, correct it, request deletion, restrict its use, and receive certain information in a portable format. These rights depend on the processing and any legal exceptions.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including our service analysis. We will consider your circumstances and stop that processing unless there are overriding legitimate grounds or it is needed for legal claims.
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. To exercise your rights, request account deletion, or ask about retained records, email [email protected]. Include enough information to identify your account, such as your player UUID from Settings. We may need to verify ownership before disclosing or changing account information. Never send your password or session cookie.
You can also complain to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) or another relevant data protection authority. You do not have to contact us first to exercise that right.
Younger players
IdleAirways is for players aged 13 and over. Players under 18 should review the terms and this policy with a parent or guardian. Do not share your real name, address, school, contact details, or other private information in chat or player-visible names. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information through the game, contact support so we can investigate and address the account and information involved.
Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated as game features and data practices change. The last-updated date above identifies the current version.