SANTA CLARA, Calif., and SEATTLE, Wash. –- Travel search engine SideStep, Inc. and Amazon Services, an Amazon.com Inc. company, announced in late January the launch of an updated travel store on the Amazon.com Web site. SideStep now provides travel services through Amazon.com.

The travel search begins in the Amazon travel store, delivering customers SideStep-powered results.

The partnership aims to help both companies establish even more solid footing in the $63.5 billion online travel industry. Currently, SideStep generates about $1 billion in gross bookings for its various partners, the company said. In working with Amazon, customer queries will pull from more than 600 airlines, 100,000 hotels and 30,000 car rental locations.

SideStep connects consumers to a travel provider’s site – sometimes an up-and-comer, other times an established company such as Avis Rent A Car. This could be looked at as a benefit by customers who avoid service fees in purchasing directly from the travel provider.

Market research firm PhoCusWright projects that 55% of all travel bookings will be made online by 2007.

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