SideStep.com - The Traveler's Search Engine

“At SideStep, our aim is to connect consumers with outstanding travel deals from a wide selection of sources, including online agencies, consolidators and travel suppliers (e.g. low cost carriers like JetBlue Airways). More than 6 million people visit SideStep each month for serious savings on travel. Whether they are looking for a Parisian escape, a week with the family in Maui, or an adventure in Peru, avid travelers turn to SideStep for its outstanding combination of choice and price. The company has forged alliances with leading travel marketers looking to reach this large, qualified audience, companies such as Continental Airlines, Hyatt Corporation, Orbitz, Best Western and Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. Marketing via SideStep gives travel providers the chance to acquire valuable customers and substantially reduce their cost of sales.”

Travel search engines are becoming increasingly popular with consumers because they create efficiency within the travel search process, offering the ability to search multiple sites at once with a higher level of accuracy. You no longer need to open multiple browser widows in an attempt to compare itineraries and prices. On the other hand, airlines, hotel groups, and car rental companies quickly embraced the new technology as it afforded them the opportunity to pull customers directly onto their own Web sites while reducing distribution costs. With a single search on SideStep, you'll find great deals from more than 200 leading travel sites, all in one place. SideStep features bargains from travel providers you won’t find on sites like Expedia and Travelocity, brands like JetBlue Airways and Holiday Inn. The site is available to all Web users, regardless of platform or browser type. The downloadable SideStep toolbar offers a valuable bonus by facilitating comparison shopping.

Will SideStep change travelers purchasing habits? How will SideStep be able to compete with an increasing number of travel search engines entering the market? Apart from US players that have entered the market, Europe also offers a couple of players in this space, such as Travel Supermarket and Kelkoo. Besides, according to Forrester Research, more than 25 percent of online leisure air travelers researched travel from general search engines like Google in 2006.