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Hotwire.com tops customer satisfaction survey

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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California (AP) -- Hotwire.com ranked highest among independent travel Web sites among customers who book their reservations online, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates.

Out of a possible 1,000-point score, Hotwire.com earned an average score of 824 points from those surveyed, followed by Expedia.com and Travelocity.com, which tied with 813 points. Priceline.com was a close third with 812 points, followed by Cheaptickets.com, 809 points, Travel.yahoo.com, 805 points, Orbitz.com, 801 points, and Hotels.com, 788 points.

The study looked at satisfaction levels among travelers who book airline, hotel or rental car reservations through one of the eight major independent travel Web sites. Respondents were asked to rate competitiveness of price; ease of booking; usefulness of the information on the Web site; availability of booking options and travel packages; appearance and design of Web site; and ease of navigation.

Hotwire.com received the highest ratings for the two things that matter most to customers -- competitiveness of price and ease of booking.

Hotwire.com specializes in selling unsold inventories from travel entities at deep discounts.

The survey also found that 50 percent of travelers now book online, up from 46 percent a year ago. But twice as many -- 33 percent compared to 17 percent -- book their reservations directly through Web sites for individual branded airline, hotel and rental car companies (such as Hilton.com or JetBlue.com) rather than using a middleman like Hotwire or Expedia.

The study is based on responses from 6,800 consumers who booked their travel reservation through an independent Web site. Travelers were surveyed between March and October 2006.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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